The Detroit Tigers face a unique situation this offseason. Cy Young winner Tarik Skubal is under contract for one more season. Spotrac reports Skubal has one more year at $22.5 million. Thereafter, he’ll hit free agency.
Therein lies the problem for the Tigers. They’ll either need to commit to him long term or potentially trade him. That’s quite the dilemma facing the Tigers. The instinct would be to keep Skubal in the fold. But given his tremendous career numbers, there’s no telling if the Tigers may be willing to pony up.
But for now, Tigers President Scott Harris chose to zip it regarding a potential Skubal trade. Harris commented the following, as quoted by the Detroit Free Press on October 13:
“I can’t comment on our players being traded. I can’t comment on a free agent. I can’t comment on other teams’ players. I’m going to respond by just not actually commenting on it.”
The lack of willingness to comment on the situation suggests the sensitive nature of the matter. One wrong comment could derail negotiations between Skubal’s camp and the Tigers. So, it’s best to stay mum for now.
But at some point, there has to be an inkling of what could happen between the Tigers and Skubal. Either the club keeps him or moves to trade him.
Tigers Owner Potentially Supportive of Keeping Him
The key question is whether the Tigers’ ownership would be willing to pay up to keep Skubal. At this point, it’s quite possible that Skubal’s next contract could surpass that of Zach Wheeler’s $42 million AAV.
If so, the Tigers may need to figure out if that’s a route they would like to go. Judging from Harris’ comments, it’s a possibility that Tigers owner Christopher Ilitch could pony up. Harris added:
“Chris has been supportive with everything we do. I know that Chris is going to support us with everything we need, both in terms of player payroll, but also not in player payroll… that can help us bring a World Series here. I have no concerns about that.”
That tacit acknowledgement that the club is willing to pay Skubal sounds encouraging to Tigers fans. However, it should come with a grain of salt. The Tigers need to view themselves as legit World Series contenders before committing head-on to Skubal.
Otherwise, trading him could land a host of pieces to bolster the club’s overall depth.
What Would a Skubal Trade Look Like?
Trading Skubal would mean the Tigers getting back a host of roster players the team could use to bolster their contender status. That return would have to include one or two starting pitchers, potentially a position player or a big bat, and a prospect or two.
Very few teams have that sort of capital to put together a package to land a player like Skubal. But then again, fans have seen stranger things happen. Perhaps there is a team out there, like one or both of the New York teams, that could find the pieces to entice Detroit to let Skubal go.
Whatever happens, it will be one very interesting offseason in Detroit.
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