Reality is setting in for the Tigers after latest Tarik Skubal trade rumor

After countless trade rumors throughout the offseason about Detroit Tigers ace Tarik Skubal, we're right back where we started — still months away from the deadline. Recent rumors from Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic suggest that Skubal is going to be dealt before the trade deadline, which means reality is going to set in pretty quickly for fans.

Even though there was so much chatter during the offseason about Skubal being dealt, it was always pretty clear that Detroit's asking price was astronomical. It’s not like Skubal was winning Cy Young awards for a team in the gutter. The Tigers made the playoffs in each of their last two seasons, and it was not unreasonable to think they could make a run in 2026.

On paper, the pitching staff looked great. They had five solid starters who, if they stayed healthy and pitched to their potential, could comprise one of the best rotations in baseball. Obviously, that has not gone according to plan.

The rotation has been banged up beyond belief and the bullpen, which also looked strong on paper heading into the season, has struggled as well.

Couple all that with a lackluster offense, outside of a few standouts, and you get a team that has one of the worst records in MLB.

Skubal's Detroit departure is not inevitable, but still very likely

It’s not impossible for the Tigers to turn things around. As Tigers fans know all too well, the Cleveland Guardians mounted a huge comeback to win the AL Central after a brutal start to the 2025 season. These things can happen.

But if things do not meaningfully improve in the next two months for the Tigers, then there is really no reason to keep Skubal on the team. He is set to be a free agent and will likely command a record-breaking contract. The Tigers are almost certainly not going to be major players in his market, so they might as well get some prospects for him while they still can.

Obviously, whatever haul they might get for Skubal will not be as impressive as the one they would have gotten in the offseason. But teams could still get crazy and offer up something wild for even just a couple months of Skubal.

He’s the kind of pitcher who can carry a team to a World Series title, so contending teams in need of a starter are obviously going to kick the tires on him.

MLB fans at large will hate it if he ends up going to the Los Angeles Dodgers or New York Yankees and Tigers fans will be heartbroken to see a guy who has been so dominant the last few seasons get dealt, but this is the reality.

Tigers fans won’t like it and many have to be hoping the team can somehow turn it around so a Skubal trade doesn’t feel so inevitable, but at the start of June it feels like the writing is on the wall. Tigers fans should probably start preparing their goodbyes.

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