Tarik Skubal's 2026 fate with Tigers sealed after Mets' Peralta trade, Dodgers' comments

In the aftermath of the Dodgers' Kyle Tucker signing, Tigers fans got even more fatalistic — which is a tall task, given how dark things have occasionally gotten this offseason. It proved that the Dodgers can get anyone and everything they want. The Tigers may as well just trade Tarik Skubal now; he's probably going to end up there in LA one way or the other.

It didn't help that talks about a Skubal trade reportedly started back up again in the aftermath of the Tucker deal. Maybe the Dodgers didn't want to stop adding while they were already on a roll; maybe the Mets were desperate to feed something to their own very fatalistic fan base.

But then the Mets signed Bo Bichette and, more importantly, traded for Freddy Peralta, using two prospects who probably would've been included in a hypothetical Skubal trade. And, during Tucker's introductory press conference, Dodgers president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman said that they're not looking for another starter.

There are Tigers fans who won't believe a word Friedman says, which is more than fair. But if we take him at his word, that's two of the top suitors for Skubal off the board. Sounds like he'll be staying in Detroit after all.

Tarik Skubal seems likely to stay put with Tigers after Mets' Freddy Peralta trade, Dodgers' Kyle Tucker signing

There are dark horses who might have both the major league and prospect talent that it would take to land Skubal in a trade— the Phillies and Yankees, namely. But neither seem motivated to make this kind of blockbuster deal and have never been in the conversation to the degree the Dodgers and Mets were.

If there's anything that's going to reopen conversations, though, it's the outcome of Skubal's arbitration hearing. If the Tigers win, keeping him until the trade deadline and then reassessing would be a no-brainer. If Skubal wins, we'll probably be in the danger zone again.

Although Tigers fans can be glad that the Mets pivoted to Peralta and staved off a Skubal move, the Brewers set an ugly precedent. The Brewers have won the NL Central four times in the last five years and made it to the NLCS last year. And then they gave up their ace to cut costs, and because there's almost no way they can afford to re-sign him as a free agent next offseason.

It's been impossible not to envision the Tigers taking that exact same route. But now that two major doors appear closed to them, we can relax a little (for now).