Conflicting Tarik Skubal reports are taking Tigers fans for a loop

With Tarik Skubal trade rumors swirling in great abundance these days, Detroit Tigers fans are just trying to distinguish fact from fiction. The problem is, everything coming out about Skubal can only be classified as existing in the gray area between those two extremes.

The most comforting news on Skubal of late (for Tigers fans) came from a reputable source. ESPN's Jeff Passan reported that while "everyone wants Tarik Skubal ... the industry expects Detroit to hold onto him, even with his free agency approaching after the 2026 season.

Passan's report found happy ears in Detroit, but it still left plenty of room for ominous interpretation. After all, Passan merely said that Skubal is expected to stay put, not that he will. There are countless examples — both recently and throughout MLB history — in which what's "expected" to happen didn't happen at all.

For instance, no one expected the Boston Red Sox to trade Rafael Devers to the San Francisco Giants in 2025, even during the initial period of friction in Boston's clubhouse. Well, circumstances changed, and pretty soon after a shocking outcome emerged that no one would have predicted.

The ever-changing nature of the MLB market means the Tigers could absolutely trade Tarik Skubal this winter

What the industry "expects" to happen quickly changes. That's because circumstances and market trends change. So do the minds of human beings (perhaps most of all), which is ultimately the main variable driving all of these personnel decisions.

And while Passan's intel was more or less positive for Tigers fans to hear, this positivity was undone by a report from another reputable source, and one with reputable roots in the industry: ESPN's Buster Olney.

Per Olney, Detroit will "seriously consider" trading Skubal this offseason if they get a desirable return package. To make things seem even more real and dangerous, Olney also listed three teams as potential fits for Skubal: Seattle Mariners, New York Mets, and Boston Red Sox.

Unsurprisingly, the New York and national media have already taken Skubal-Mets buzz (real or not) and run with it in endless directions. Red Sox and Mariners fans are likewise salivating over what Skubal could and would look like in their rotation. The trade is basically already done! He's definitely coming!

Such is the mindset of a passionate fan. When a guy like Skubal becomes even reportedly available, and even the tiniest molecule of possibility that that guy could land with your favorite team bubbles to the surface, suddenly the entire season and franchise outlook need to be re-considered.

Tigers fans are experiencing the exact same situation in reverse. Some may have already resigned themselves to the fact that Skubal is out the door.

The offseason is still impossibly young, but Tigers fans are in a state of collective anxiety over the conflicting reports on Skubal. They will be scouring the internet for any shred of a hint from Skubal or any source close to him.

With all due respect to Passan and Olney, they basically cancelled each other out with the polar opposite intel. Skubal's destiny is completely unknown. Let the most aggressive and tactful suitor prevail, which, of course, should ultimately be the Tigers warding off everyone else and keeping their ace in house.