Tarik Skubal: Forever a Detroit Tiger or Gone Forever?
With the MLB off season now upon us, the rumors have already been swirling around now two-time CY Young winner Tarik Skubal. The Detroit Tigers have a decision to make with Skubal now entering his final contract year in 2026, what do you do? Sign him long-term, trade him or option three, do nothing and wait till next off-season potential letting him walk. Â
In this blog I like to break down each option the Detroit Tigers face and which option SHOULD they choose.
Option #1: Resign Skubal
I’ll make no secret right away this is the option I believe the Tigers should choose right away. You currently have the best pitcher in baseball with the 17th highest payroll; there’s no reason you shouldn’t be paying your homegrown player! Now Skubal will become the highest pitcher in baseball, not wrong there. The contract will most likely be over $400 million guaranteed, making him the highest pitcher ever on record but let’s not act like the Detroit Tigers have never spent money before/don’t have money to spend. They do and they should!
The stats back up the decision to pay Skubal. The last two CY Young seasons Skubal has:
- Combined WAR: 12.9Â
- Lowest AL ERA — twiceÂ
- Back-to-back 200+ strikeout seasonsÂ
- Lowest BB/9 rate in the leagueÂ
You can’t NOT resign Skubal; he’s quite literally been the difference between missing the playoffs and making the last two years. So, why won’t the Tigers pay Tarik Skubal long-term just yet and even entertaining trade offers, because the new owner is cheap. Which is sad because Detroit is not a small market baseball team like Milwaukee or Kansas City. There’s no reason Detroit shouldn’t be a top 10-12 highest spending teams in the league. Think of the message it sends to future players; Detroit should not become the farm system for the rest of the league.
For me, resigning Skubal long-term is the only option.
Option #2: Trade SkubalÂ
Now the rumors have been wild already but seem to be cooling down on whether the Detroit Tigers should trade Skubal. It seems like the Tigers are expecting a haul rightfully so, almost to the point other teams would have to question if one year guaranteed of Tarik Skubal is worth it long-term.
I’m for this option technically, only if the Detroit Tigers don’t sign Tarik Skubal long-term. The rumor going around that the Tigers only offered $80 million is a half-truth. They did but before the 2023 season so before the two Cy Young seasons! Which I’m surprised that so many very accredited baseball journalists are running with this information to spear head Skubal trade rumors into their favorite teams like the Yankees, Dodgers, and Mets.
Totally agree that if the Detroit Tigers were to trade Skubal they would need an absolute mega deal of prospect in return. Here’s the thing though I view prospects as lottery tickets. Always great to have as many lottery tickets as possible but would I rather trade for the chance to get a Cy Young winning pitcher again or stick with the diamond I already have.
To me the answer is obvious trading Skubal is dangerous waters and can ruin an organization for years to come, should be avoided.
Option #3: Do Nothing
There is a third option, a wild card of sorts, that is to do nothing and go all in this year. Sign a bunch of free agents to make a actual run at a world series this year. If he walks great, if you sign Skubal after the 2026 season, it’s also great. Plus, if the Detroit Tigers have a terrible year, they could potentially trade Skubal at the July trade deadline for a few prospects in return.
This is definitely not the safest bet, but sadly I believe this is the option the Detroit Tigers will choose before the 2026 season. Tarik Skubal will continue to be in the headlines for the months to come.