- - Trading Tarik Skubal might be a painful but necessary step for the Detroit Tigers

Russell DorseyDecember 20, 2025 at 1:53 AM

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There’s no question that Tarik Skubal is the best pitcher in the sport, and his undeniable talent combined with the passion he exudes on the mound makes him exactly what any team would want in an ace. The Detroit Tigers have enjoyed reaping the benefits of Skubal’s greatness over the past two seasons. After a long rebuild, the Tigers reached the postseason in back-to-back years in 2024 and ‘25. In that same time, Skubal took the crown as the best pitcher in the world.

But now time is running out on the Tigers’ run with the back-to-back AL Cy Young Award winner, and it might be time for the team to make an uncomfortable decision.

It’s no secret that Skubal is one year away from free agency, and anytime a player of his caliber is on the precipice of hitting the market, speculation begins to swirl about the possibility of a trade. Of course, the one thing that could silence those trade rumors is an extension, but given the exorbitant price, extending baseball’s best starting pitcher is easier said than done for Detroit. And when that pitcher’s agent is Scott Boras, who famously steers his clients away from extensions and toward the open market, it adds another complex layer to the situation.

The Tigers and Skubal have reportedly been far apart in extension conversations and unable to even get close to a resolution in their discussions. Which means that at this point, the best decision for both sides might be to walk away from the table and for the Tigers to shift their efforts to trade conversations.

When you have a talent such as Skubal, Plan A should always be to try to win with that player. But because an extension doesn’t seem realistic, the Tigers are seemingly backed into a corner and running out of options.

But the Tigers currently have one of the most valuable commodities in the game. Even though Skubal has just one year of club control remaining, there are teams that would pay top dollar for one year of the best pitcher in the game. By trading Skubal, the Tigers could get a haul in return, and because the AL Central isn’t particularly strong, they could likely still be the best team in the division, especially if they’re able to get major-league talent in the deal.

Of course, while the Tigers might benefit in the long term, the reality is that Skubal is a generational type of starting pitcher, and there is no replacing him once he’s gone. But at the same time, not trading Skubal comes with its own risks.

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Should the Tigers keep their ace and play out the 2026 season, they’d have one more shot to try to win with the best pitcher on Earth. After that, if Skubal leaves in free agency, all they’d get in return is a draft pick between the first round and Competitive Balance Round A as a revenue-sharing recipient. That doesn’t seem like nearly enough for the best pitcher in baseball.

And the worst-case scenario involves an injury. If Skubal gets hurt, the value to the Tigers is gone, and any thought of trading their ace during next season goes out the window.

There are definitely things to weigh from Skubal’s perspective as well. The Tigers’ ace is 30 years old and pitching in his prime. This close to free agency, signing an extension doesn’t make much sense from a business standpoint. Most players in this situation let the process play out and enter the free-agent market at season’s end.

However, the situation involves a level of risk for the southpaw, too.

Pitchers have a much higher risk of injury than position players because of the nature of the position. Skubal had one Tommy John surgery back in 2016, when he was in college, and in today’s day and age in baseball, many starters have to undergo a second elbow procedure at some point, whether that’s full Tommy John or an internal brace procedure.

This reality is something teams have begun to incorporate in their calculations before signing pitchers to long-term deals. And for a pitcher such as Skubal, who is in the 99th percentile for velocity and as max-effort as it gets on the mound, every pitch he throws without an extension or long-term deal is going to be a risk. It makes sense for the all-world ace to bet on himself at this point in his career, but betting on continued health is a far riskier proposition.

As teams around the league look for ways to upgrade their rotations without having to spend at the top of the free-agent market, the trade market will continue to heat up. Which makes now the perfect time for the Tigers to, at the very least, actively shop Skubal. It would be difficult for contending teams to dream up a better one-year rental than a back-to-back Cy Young winner.

This is hardly an ideal situation for Detroit, and getting true value for Skubal at this point likely won’t be possible. But time is no longer on the Tigers’ side. With the entire sport waiting to see what they decide to do, moving Skubal might hurt, but it also might be for the best.

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Source: “AOL Sports”