At least Tigers’ front office is doing one thing right after latest Yankees-Skubal update

The funniest part of Jon Heyman reporting the Yankees “checked in” on Tarik Skubal is the idea that Detroit is supposed to respond like it’s flattered.

Because if the Yankees walked away thinking it would take “half the team” to get Skubal, good. That means the Tigers are playing this the only way it should be played: if you want the ace who can bend a season, you’re not paying retail for him. 

Skubal is coming off a monster 2025 where he won the AL Cy Young again. Even if you’re only getting him for a limited runway, he’s not just a rotation upgrade. One season of Skubal is a franchise-altering weapon.

Tigers’ savage Tarik Skubal price tag is exactly what the Yankees deserve

The timing also matters. Skubal and the Tigers are staring at a headline-grabbing arbitration gap. A $13 million canyon that’s already being framed as record-chasing territory. So sure, the cynics are going to connect dots and whisper “trade leverage,” because baseball people can’t help themselves. 

But here’s the truth: Detroit doesn’t need to rescue the Yankees. The Tigers need Skubal — not just for the innings, but for what he represents inside that clubhouse and across the whole season. He’s legitimacy in a league that doesn’t hand it out for free. When you have that kind of ace, it’s almost malpractice to shop him. You’re supposed to build around him, market him, and let everyone else be the team sweating the matchup.

So if the Yankees want to “check in,” let them check in. Let them hear the same message every other contender should hear: unless you’re showing up with a Juan Soto-esque, headline-stealing return — premium talent, real impact, the kind of package that makes your fanbase mad before it makes sense — don’t bother warming up the phone line. 

And that’s the one thing Detroit’s front office is getting right in this mini-storm: setting the price so high it doubles as a boundary. Skubal is not a conversation. He’s a cornerstone — unless someone walks in offering to overpay in a way that actually changes the Tigers’ future.