Tigers increasingly likely to trade Tarik Skubal before deadline as playoff hopes fade, reports say

Dan Dakich, Jason Hammer & Dan Zaksheske discuss the upcoming issues that the MLB is facing in their next offseason

To the Detroit Tigers' credit, after reaching the playoffs in 2025, ownership and the front office decided to make another run in 2026.

They signed Framber Valdez, one of the best available pitchers on the market. They brought in Kenley Jansen to stabilize the back end of the bullpen. Offered Gleyber Torres an expensive qualifying offer to keep one of their most productive hitters in town, and gave top prospect Kevin McGonigle $150 million to lock down his prime years. And most importantly, they didn't trade Tarik Skubal.

Skubal won his second consecutive Cy Young Award in 2025, cementing his place as arguably the best pitcher in baseball. He's also set to reach free agency after the 2026 season, and, pre-injury, was widely expected to break records for the largest contract for a pitcher in the sport's history. That makes an extension from Detroit a near-impossibility.

Tarik Skubal of the Detroit Tigers looks on between pitches during the first inning against the Atlanta Braves at Truist Park in Atlanta, Georgia, on April 29, 2026. (Brandon Sloter/Getty Images)

A championship run would make losing Skubal in free agency worth it, however. But as the season reaches June, the Tigers have fallen off a cliff. Skubal's been out since early May with an elbow injury. Detroit's position player group, after an outstanding 2025 season, has been the third worst offense and defense in baseball in 2026, per FanGraphs. Their starting pitching has been above average, but the bullpen, such a strength last season, has been awful. Even with Jansen, they're second in baseball with 14 blown saves and dead last with -4.36 win