There might be no team more compelling this winter than the Detroit Tigers. It's not due to their perceived aggressiveness in the free agency or trade market. Instead, it's all about Tarik Skubal.
The 2024 and 2025 AL Cy Young Award winner is going into the final year of his contract and will be a free agent after 2026. With Detroit not expected to sign Skubal until he tests the market, trade rumors have popped up.
As Jim Bowden of The Athletic highlights, Detroit isn't expected to trade him. However, that doesn't mean they won't listen to trade offers, as the Tigers will at least listen to what other teams are willing to offer for Skubal.
Tigers' willing to listen to trade offers for Tarik Skubal
"The Tigers have told teams that are not expecting to trade Tarik Skubal this offseason," Bowden writes, "But the main difference between their position and the one taken by the Pirates vis-a-vis Skenes is that the Tigers will listen to offers for Skubal."
No player is drawing the intrigue from around Major League Baseball like Skubal in the offseason. While Kyle Tucker, Bo Bichette, and others are top free agents, the chance to trade for Skubal, who's won back-to-back Cy Young awards, is very appealing.
The Tigers aren't likely to trade Skubal, which is the right move for a team looking to contend in 2026. But this stance, that they're willing to listen to offers, is also the right stance to take.
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If they shut down any trade calls coming in for Skubal, they could miss out on a generational haul. A team might get desperate and offer way too much for one season of Skubal, and the Tigers would never know if they shut down any offers.
Being open to trades for Skubal doesn't mean they will, or are seriously considering trading the ace lefty. But by having the phones on and listening to the team's offers, they can gauge the market and determine if trading him is worth it.
Finding a reasonable package for Skubal is nearly impossible, and Detroit is very likely to keep him. But if the Tigers struggle to open the year and are sellers at the NFL deadline, Detroit could use these offseason trade inquiries to land a huge return mid-season for Skubal.
For now, Skubal isn't going anywhere. But, with Detroit leaving open the door to negotiations, trade rumors surrounding the Tigers' ace aren't going to die down anytime soon.
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