The Detroit Tigers are facing one of their biggest decisions in years, and all eyes — and rumors — are on Tarik Skubal. Entering his final season before free agency, the Tigers ace has become the centerpiece of ongoing rumors across MLB. The question now is whether Detroit will commit to a massive long-term deal or capitalize on the growing rumors around Tarik Skubal by trading him for a package of elite prospects. After reaching the ALDS for a second straight season, the Tigers have become a team on the rise, making this dilemma even more difficult.
Skubal’s dominance has elevated his market value to an all-time high. The 29-year-old left-hander established himself among baseball’s elite with a breakout in 2023, going 7-3 with a 2.80 ERA after recovering from left flexor tendon surgery. In 2024, he went 18-4 with a 2.39 ERA, winning the AL Cy Young Award unanimously. His 2025 season proved that wasn’t a fluke, a 13-6 record, 2.21 ERA, 195 1/3 innings, and 241 strikeouts placed him among the game’s best pitchers once again. That run could make him the first back-to-back AL Cy Young winner since Pedro Martinez in 1999–2000.
Would the Tigers dare to do the unthinkable?
Still, rival executives are daring Detroit to make a bold move. “I imagine they’ll consider it, if the bidding gets high enough,” said one AL executive. “I’m not sure if they’ll have the guts to do it.” Another added, “Pitchers of this caliber rarely become available on a short-term commitment. There will be no shortage of suitors if Detroit makes Skubal available.”
If the Tigers decide to trade Tarik Skubal, the 2024 Corbin Burnes deal could serve as a precedent. The Brewers received DL Hall, Joey Ortiz, and a Competitive Balance Round A pick for Burnes. Even so, one NL executive believes Skubal’s price tag will soar higher. “The baseline is somewhere north of what Milwaukee received for Corbin Burnes. How far north of that is anyone’s guess.”
An AL executive summed it up best: “It would have to be two or three Top 100 type guys. Skubal is at another level from Burnes, but that return is a good floor.”
Would the Tigers dare trade the best arm they’ve developed in a generation?
