ESPN naming Tigers 'true contenders' for Tarik Skubal is rabbit hole fans don't want to go down

Tigers fans knew that Tarik Skubal's July 29 start against the Orioles would be his last in the Old English D. We didn't yet know where he would be going (though we certainly had a thought), or what Detroit might get in return, but we knew that was it. Fans at Comerica sent him off with a hearty cheer and a curtain call to say thank you and goodbye.

The odds that the Tigers re-sign Skubal in free agency have always been slim-to-none. They have a lot of money coming off the payroll when the offseason officially begins, but we'd bet that they want to keep it that way. If anything, they might prefer to use the free space to lock up a couple more guys to extensions than to take on the kind of money that Skubal is going to command.

There were really only three teams anyone could imagine signing Skubal in free agency: the Dodgers, the Mets, and the Yankees. There could be a couple dark horses, but at the end of the day, it'll take the kind of willingness to spend that only those three teams have.

However, insiders polled by ESPN's Kiley McDaniel disagree. The Tigers were named alongside the Dodgers and Mets as "true contenders" for Skubal.

Tigers fans aren't buying ESPN naming Detroit a 'true contender' for Tarik Skubal

Tigers plans were more than fed up with the will-they-won't-they between Skubal and the team when it came to a contract extension. Even if Detroit had presented a competitive offer, it seems unlikely Skubal and agent Scott Boras would've seriously considered it. The arbitration debacle just made it even worse — the Tigers only paid him $32 million because they had to.

The Dodgers seem like the early frontrunners, because of course they do. They have the money and they already have a relationship with Skubal, who's made it clear that he fell in love with LA (and maybe new teammate Blake Snell) as soon as he was traded.

Meanwhile, the Tigers' rotation is all but set, and Scott Harris' general disdain for long-term, high-paying contracts won't be tempered by sentimentality. Skubal used to be one of those players Harris refused to block by spending big on free agents — now, he's in the other camp entirely.

Any rumor or update about Skubal and the Tigers should be taken with a grain of salt this offseason. If anything were to actually happen, we won't believe it until he actually signs a contract.

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