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The Detroit Tigers entered the offseason with arguably the biggest question across baseball looming over them, and it’s one the entire league has an eye on ahead of the winter meetings this week.
Time is beginning to tick on Detroit to make a decision as to whether or not they are going to do the unthinkable and trade away their repeat American League Cy Young ace Tarik Skubal. Though this seems on the surface like not even a decision at all, there is reason to consider it.
Skubal obviously is going to hit free agency a year from now and with extension talks to this point going absolutely nowhere, it seems this is going to be the final year the left-hander is in a Tigers uniform.
This is a team who has proven to be a legitimate American League contender though with Skubal leading the way, and chasing a title in 2026 likely is not realistic without their ace at the helm. The case on each side is clear, but in all likelihood, Detroit has to make a decision sooner rather than later.
With the winter meetings getting started in Orlando this week, teams are going to be presenting their best offers to Scott Harris and team brass. If they ever are going to deal him this winter, the time would be now.
Tigers Likely Will Keep Skubal Into Season if They Don’t Trade Him Now
It’s not to say there’s any sort of deadline on Detroit deciding to make a trade decision this week, but when big offseason trades go down, it almost always happens right around the time of the winter meetings. We saw it last year with the Kyle Tucker deal, and this is when the buzz is highest.
The Tigers are likely telling teams who have almost assuredly been ringing their phone off the hook to bring their best offer to Orlando as things start to come to a head.
If Detroit does not hear an offer they like enough this week to move on from Skubal, it’s likely they are not getting an offer this winter which entices them enough to move him. Things could be different at the deadline this summer especially if the season isn’t going well, but it seems safe to say Skubal will be a Tiger headed into the season if he isn’t dealt this week.
What is Likelihood Detroit Hears a Massive Offer This Week?
Though the general consensus from insiders has been that the Tigers are more likely to hold onto Skubal, everything could change if one team make a dramatic increase from what they have been dangling to this point.
Detroit will consider all their options this week as they weigh not only what is best for the organization in 2026, but really for the next decade or more. Trading Skubal would be a tragedy, but there’s also a real case to be made for it if the price is right.
This is the week where the Tigers will find out likely once and for all whether or not the price is in fact right, and in turn what their rotation will look like next season and beyond.