The complete guide for Tigers fans to ignore Tarik Skubal trade rumors until ...

It feels like a bad whodunnit movie. The twists are predictable. The turns you can see coming a mile away. There is no suspense. You feel as if you know how it's going to end before the story even starts. For Detroit Tigers fans who have become exhausted by all of the Tarik Skubal rumors, it has become easy to just tune out and wait for the trade news.

Except we're a long way away from this. We've learned that not every Skubal update can be trusted. We've seen Skubal, himself, come out and say all the right things. For now, he'll be taking the bump on Opening Day for the Tigers in 2026, and that's all that matters.

You still might not be convinced. With Gleyber Torres accepting the qualifying offer, Kyle Finnegan re-signing, and the addition of Kenley Jansen, the roster is largely unchanged from the group that collapsed down the stretch in 2025. So let's break this down a little bit further.

There's still plenty of time for the Tigers to build a top-tier roster and plenty of reasons to ignore the Tarik Skubal trade buzz

While it feels as if the Tigers haven't done much of anything this offseason, it's worth pointing out that neither has anyone else really. Yes, the Toronto Blue Jays have been active, and that is scary, but aside from them, the American League is relatively weak.

The Seattle Mariners ousted the Tigers, and while they wasted no time in bringing Josh Naylor back into the fold, they haven't done anything else of substance. The Boston Red Sox got Sonny Gray, but he's really just replacing Lucas Giolito. The New York Yankees have sat on their laurels. The AL Central as a whole is weak.

Aside from maybe Toronto, it's hard to pinpoint any AL contender as appreciably better than the Tigers are right now. You aren't wrong if you think that that's all well and good, but Detroit still needs to add a big bat, another rotation arm, and more help in the bullpen. That said, it certainly looks like they're trying, especially after giving Torres $22 million and Finnegan $19 million, and bringing Jansen into the fold (with a club option for 2027).

Detroit is reportedly among the top contenders for Ketel Marte. Positionally, the fit is weird with Torres returning, but offensively, his bat would be a perfect addition to the lineup. The Tigers have also been sniffing around Michael King and Pete Fairbanks. The former would be a dynamite addition to the starting rotation and take some pressure off a Jack Flaherty bounce-back, while the latter is one of the top bullpen arms remaining.

Point being, the Tigers are trying to improve, and while they need to turn those efforts into results, if they do, they'll be one of the top contenders in a wide-open American League.

Not only is that important because the fans want to see the club win, but it's also important to show Skubal that Scott Harris and the organization are committed to surrounding him with talent.

Skubal's a fiery competitor, and while the prospect of a record-setting contract is tantalizing, don't think for a second that having a chance to win it all isn't on his mind. If Detroit can prove that it's a place that can provide him that opportunity, that will go a long way toward convincing him to stay.

As Ken Rosenthal so eloquently stated, Skubal won't be traded until he is traded, so until we reach that point, Tigers fans are best served plugging their ears and ignoring the rumors.

After all, there's nothing that says they can't add to this roster and roll with Skubal in 2026 in hopes of winning a title, and then put the full-court press on re-signing him next winter. Realistically, that's likely the best course of action. So that's why fans should only be focused on Harris improving this roster since there's no other indication he'll do otherwise. In fact, he's proven that he's adding mostly for only 2026. Torres and Jansen are only guaranteed to be here for one year, and Finnegan's contract is through 2027. Why else would those types of moves have been made in the early going if keeping Skubal wasn't always a part of the plan?

Could they trade him? Sure. Another front office could present a Godfather offer and Harris might feel implored to accept it. With that, however, he'll have to weigh the psychological effect on the fanbase if he trades away the most beloved player in a decade.

So while it might feel like you've seen this movie before, there's a lot more of the story to unfold. Some twists and turns no doubt await, and it's important not to get caught up in the red herrings and nonsense as we look forward to the resolution. Whatever that may be.