Tarik Skubal just put the Detroit Tigers on notice. The two time defending AL Cy Young winner did not mince words this week. “We need to play better baseball or else,” Skubal told reporters. The “or else” is the part that should scare everyone in Detroit.
Skubal is set to become a free agent after this season. He is in the final year of his arbitration deals. The Tigers and Skubal had the largest gap in salary arbitration history this winter, with Skubal filing at $32 million and the Tigers filing at $19 million. They settled at $32 million. The relationship has been tense for months.
If the Tigers do not get back into contention quickly, Skubal could absolutely be moved at the August 3 deadline. He is the most valuable trade asset in baseball. He throws upper 90s. He is dominant. He has a club option for 2027 that is reportedly below the qualifying offer level, which means whoever acquires him will essentially own a year and change of one of the best pitchers in the world.
The market for Skubal would be insane. The Dodgers would call. The Yankees would call. The Cubs would call. The Mets would probably overpay. The Phillies would consider it. Any contender that thinks they can win a title with one more elite arm would be in the mix. The Tigers could rebuild their farm system overnight by moving him.
Skubal also just had a surgical procedure in May to remove bone fragments from his elbow. He has made one start back from it. He is making his second start Friday. The health is the only real question. If he proves the procedure was a success and he is back to being Tarik Skubal, the trade value goes through the roof.
For Detroit, this is a moment of truth. The Tigers are below .500 and falling further out of the AL Central race. They have a young core that includes Riley Greene, Spencer Torkelson, Colt Keith, and Jackson Jobe. But none of them have taken the leap to be a real franchise piece. The team that made a magical playoff run in 2024 has not been able to recapture the lightning.
President of baseball operations Scott Harris has a brutal call to make. Trading Skubal means giving up on this season and probably 2027 as well. Keeping Skubal means letting him walk in free agency for nothing more than draft pick compensation. The middle ground, which is extending him this summer, would cost a fortune. Skubal is going to want $400 million.
The smart money is on Detroit trading him. The Tigers do not have the war chest to compete with the Dodgers or the Yankees in free agency. They are not built like that. The franchise has historically been allergic to mega contracts since the Justin Verlander era. They are going to take the prospect haul, restock, and try again in 2028.
Skubal probably knows this. His public statement is the start of his goodbye tour. He is the best pitcher Detroit has had since Verlander. He has been the heart of the rotation. He has been the face of the franchise. The relationship was always going to end with him moving on. The question is just whether it ends in July or in October.
The next two months in Detroit are going to be tense. The Tigers need to win games. Skubal needs to stay healthy and dominant. The two parts are connected. If either falls apart, the trade speculation is going to consume the entire summer.
For now, Skubal threw down the gauntlet. Play better baseball or else. The Tigers have six weeks to find an answer.
A longtime sports reporter, Carlos Garcia has written about some of the biggest and most notable athletic events of the last 5 years. He has been credentialed to cover MLS, NBA and MLB games all over the United States. His work has been published on Fox Sports, Bleacher Report, AOL and the Washington Post.
