The Detroit Tigers didn’t need the Winter Meetings to remind them what Tarik Skubal means to the franchise. They already know. He’s the face of the rotation, the back-to-back American League Cy Young winner, and the rare pitcher who can erase an opponent’s lineup with pure stuff and even better command.
What the Tigers needed from Orlando was clarity. Instead, they left with louder noise, sharper rumors, and a national temperature check that keeps pointing in the same direction: the league believes Skubal might move, and soon.
CBS Sports added fresh fuel to that fire this week when it cited ESPN’s Jorge Castillo reporting that a Skubal trade this offseason has started to look “increasingly” likely as Detroit enters his walk year with no visible traction on an extension.
The CBS Update: MLB Thinks Detroit Will Choose the Haul
CBS framed the situation the way rival front offices already view it: Skubal’s dominance creates universal demand, and his contract timeline creates urgency. Castillo’s reporting, as summarized by CBS, connects the dots that every contender has circled in red—Skubal sits one season away from free agency, and extension progress hasn’t shown up publicly.
That matters because the Tigers don’t just face a baseball decision. They face an asset-management decision. Detroit can hold Skubal for one more run and risk watching him walk, or it can convert one elite season of control into a franchise-altering return right now—while bidders still believe they can both win with him and extend him.
CBS also hammered the obvious truth: any team with legitimate 2026 hopes can use Skubal. That includes Detroit. But it also includes basically every contender with prospect depth and ambition.
Detroit’s Message: “No Untouchables” Is a Signal, Not a Slogan
Tigers president of baseball operations Scott Harris didn’t announce a teardown, and he didn’t slap a “for sale” sign on Skubal. But he also didn’t play the “hands off” game teams use when they genuinely want rumors to die. MLB.com recently highlighted Harris’ stance that he doesn’t believe in “untouchable players,” a line that naturally pours gasoline on Skubal speculation.
Owner Chris Ilitch hasn’t exactly calmed the room either. CBS previously noted his October comments when asked about Skubal’s impending free agency—he pivoted to the present rather than committing to a long-term plan publicly.
That’s why this week’s noise hasn’t faded. It has sharpened.
The most viral rumor came from KTLA’s David Pingalore, who claimed a Tigers–Dodgers framework already exists and now awaits two hurdles: Detroit ownership approval and clarity on Skubal’s extension. Pingalore’s post ignited the baseball internet, and even if fans treat it cautiously, it reflects what front offices keep whispering—Detroit won’t move him without a monster offer. A buyer won’t pay that price without confidence Skubal stays.
Here’s the reality for Tigers fans: this might not come down to whether Detroit wants Skubal. It might come down to whether Detroit believes it can keep him. If Harris and Ilitch think the extension path won’t open, then the Tigers will have to decide whether one more season of Skubal is worth more than the biggest return the franchise has seen in years.
And based on how the industry now talks about this, Detroit may already stand at that crossroads.
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