The Detroit Tigers keep insisting they want to contend in 2026. They’ve said it, they’ve acted like it, and their recent roster moves all point toward a team ready to take the next step. Yet here we are again—right back in the same maddening storyline that refuses to go away. According to ESPN’s Buster Olney, the Tigers “continue to be engaged” with teams on a potential trade for two-time Cy Young winner Tarik Skubal, even as Detroit fans brace for the possibility of the franchise doing the unthinkable.
At this point, it’s fair to ask: What exactly are the Tigers doing?
If Detroit wants to win, if it wants to build real momentum, if it wants to avoid setting the franchise back years… then just extend the guy.
Detroit’s Mixed Signals Are Driving Fans Crazy
On paper, the Tigers shouldn’t even be entertaining a Skubal trade. The 29-year-old left-hander is in his prime, fresh off back-to-back Cy Young seasons, and has established himself as arguably the best pitcher in baseball. He owns a 2.30 ERA and a 31% strikeout rate across the last two years. He is the heartbeat of the rotation. He is their identity.
But the front office keeps dipping a toe into the trade waters anyway. Some of this is standard due diligence—any competent executive listens. The problem is that this doesn’t feel like routine listening. The conversations haven’t stopped. Olney’s report makes that clear.
And fans know the truth: If the Tigers truly had zero intention of moving Skubal, they could shut down the rumor mill immediately. They could say, “We’re keeping him. This is over.” They haven’t.
This is where public trust starts leaking out of the organization. Tigers fans have lived through teardown after teardown. Skubal is the kind of pitcher teams dream of building around—and Detroit somehow still hasn’t made that commitment.
The Extension That Should Already Be Done
One-year-of-control players do get traded in today’s league. But those players usually aren’t generational aces who anchor playoff teams. And the Tigers aren’t trying to rebuild; they’re trying to break through.
An extension solves everything. It stabilizes the franchise. It energizes the fanbase. It sends a message to the league that Detroit isn’t just visiting contention—they’re here to stay.
Instead, we’re hearing that Skubal and the Tigers were nearly $250 million apart in talks last offseason, per Jon Heyman. That gap, unsurprisingly, has grown after he won another Cy Young. This isn’t a shock. Elite pitching is expensive. That’s the reality of the sport.
You don’t trade the guy because he’s great and knows what he’s worth. You pay him because he’s great and he’s worth it.
If Detroit deals Skubal now, they get a massive return—sure. But trading him is a bet that prospects and “future value” will make them better than having one of the top pitchers on earth leading their rotation in a season they expect to contend. That’s a dangerous gamble for a franchise that has finally built a winning core.
Either Detroit is a win-now team, or it’s a long-term asset management project. It cannot be both.
If they want to win in 2026, the decision is comically simple: Keep Tarik Skubal. Extend Tarik Skubal. Build around Tarik Skubal.
Anything else invites chaos into a season that should be defined by optimism.
The Winter Meetings will turn this noise into a roar. But until the Tigers commit to their superstar, the franchise’s future will hang in the balance—one phone call, one offer, one hesitation away from unraveling.
Just extend the guy. Detroit has the ace every team wants. They need the conviction to keep him.
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