Tarik Skubal stood in front of reporters Thursday and said what Detroit needed to hear — and what the front office probably wished he hadn’t, given the trade-deadline math they’re sweating.
“I’ve never been more motivated to try and win a World Series for this city, the team that drafted me and helped develop me,” Skubal said. “That’s always been the goal, and that will never change unless I’m told I’m on a different team.”
The two-time Cy Young winner is scheduled to start against the Kansas City Royals at Comerica Park, and he knows the clock is ticking. The Aug. 3 trade deadline could turn that outing into his last in a Tigers uniform. “That might be the reality,” he said. “But also five days later, there’s another one at home.”
Skubal’s preference is clear. The Tigers’ calculus is not.
Detroit was 22-38 at the start of June, buried so deep in the AL standings that trading Skubal felt like a foregone conclusion. Since then: 27-16. The Tigers sit four games back of a wild-card spot and six behind the AL Central lead, close enough to dream but not close enough to be safe.
ESPN’s Jeff Passan reported Tuesday that the Tigers are “far more likely than not to move Skubal.” The Brewers have already touched base, according to MLB.com’s Adam McCalvy. The organization has not made a final decision, but the next week of results could settle it.
The contract gap is the elephant in the room. Skubal won his arbitration case and is making $32 million this season; the Tigers offered $19 million. He admitted the process damaged his relationship with the front office. He becomes a free agent after the World Series, and extension talks have gone nowhere — Bless You Boys estimated a starting point of $350 million over eight years, which would be the largest pitching contract in MLB history.
If the Tigers keep him and fall short of October, they risk losing one of baseball’s best arms for nothing but a compensatory draft pick — the same mistake the Angels made with Shohei Ohtani in 2023.
Skubal, 29, had surgery May 6 to remove a loose body from his pitching elbow and returned June 13. He’s 6-5 with a 2.83 ERA. Last season he led the American League with a 2.21 ERA and all of baseball with a 0.891 WHIP, striking out 241 over 195 1/3 innings. He won the Cy Young unanimously in 2024 and added a second in 2025.
“There’s a lot of intrigue around him and the reason is, he’s really good,” manager A.J. Hinch said.
If Detroit decides to buy instead of sell, The Athletic’s Jim Bowden suggested targeting a right-handed bat — specifically Luis Robert, recently reinstated from the injured list by the Mets after a lumbar disc herniation cost him most of the season. Robert hit 38 home runs three years ago and stole 33 bases last season, but he’s surpassed 100 games played just three times in seven years. The health risk is real.
The Tigers have been here before. They traded Justin Verlander to Houston in 2017 and got back a package that produced one backup catcher. They let Max Scherzer walk in free agency and got nothing. Detroit’s own history with ace pitchers and deadlines is mixed enough that neither option feels safe.
Skubal, for his part, is not pretending the uncertainty doesn’t exist. He’s just refusing to let it change his approach.
“I think we have a chance to win a World Series,” he said. “I’ve said that since spring training. That’s never changed.”
Sources:
- Sporting News — Skubal trade deadline coverage
- MLB.com / Adam McCalvy — Brewers interest in Skubal
- ESPN / Jeff Passan — Tigers likely to move Skubal
- Bless You Boys — Tigers playoff chase and extension cost analysis
- Athlon Sports / Yahoo — Skubal Cy Young finalist profile
- The Athletic / Jim Bowden — trade target suggestions