Insider Says There’s a 90 Percent Chance the Tigers Trade Tarik Skubal Before the Deadline
Tarik Skubal trading is no longer a hypothetical. It is becoming the most likely outcome of the 2026 MLB Trade Deadline, and the Detroit Tigers know it.
MLB insider Jon Heyman believes there is a 90 percent chance Skubal ends up on a new team before the August 3 deadline. Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic has been even more direct. Per Rosenthal, the Tigers ace will be traded before the 2026 MLB trade deadline.
The Detroit Tigers have crashed so hard and so fast that the front office has no real choice. Every loss draws them closer to selling, which means Skubal is almost certainly going to be available. Skubal is also a pending free agent after this season, which makes the math even more pressing.
The Skubal trade is the entire deadline. Other big names will be moved. Other contenders will make smaller deals. But 2026 is going to be remembered as the Skubal Deadline, and the bidding war is going to be the biggest since Juan Soto went to San Diego in 2022.
Skubal is the two-time defending American League Cy Young winner. He has been the best left-handed starter in baseball for two straight years. He is also currently working back from a NanoScope elbow scope and is on track to return in mid-June. That timeline is perfect for trade discussions. Contenders will have multiple starts to evaluate him before the deadline.
If he comes back healthy and effective, he is the most impactful in-season trade target since prime Justin Verlander or peak Max Scherzer. Every contender wants him.
The list of suitors is enormous. The Dodgers are at the top because they always are, with elite prospect capital and a track record of going after the biggest deadline names. The Yankees need rotation help and have been gathering young arms for years. The Cubs are looking for an ace to anchor their playoff push. The Brewers, Rays, and Mariners have also been linked.
Each one has reasons it makes sense and reasons it might not. The Dodgers might prioritize their farm system over a rental. The Yankees might prefer to focus on a longer-term acquisition. The Cubs might decide the price is too steep for a half-season of Skubal.
What is unique about Skubal is the value. He is the kind of pitcher who can change a series in a single start. The Dodgers learned that lesson the hard way against Detroit in the past. A team adding Skubal at the deadline is adding three potential playoff wins, not just regular season ones.
For the Tigers, the return matters. Detroit will not move Skubal for anything less than a package of multiple top-100 prospects and a young big-league piece. The 2022 Juan Soto trade brought back several pieces, including James Wood. A modern Skubal trade should bring back something similar.
The negotiation will start with Detroit asking for the moon. The negotiation will end with the Tigers settling for something close to the moon, because they have leverage. Every team in playoff contention will be calling, and the bidding will push the price into the stratosphere.
The deadline is August 3. Skubal is expected to make a few starts in late June and early July to prove he is healthy. By the time the deadline arrives, the bidding war should be at full peak. Detroit gets to pick the best offer.
This is going to be the biggest move of the 2026 season. Skubal is going somewhere new. The Tigers know it. The market knows it. The only question now is which team is going to pay the price.
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.
