The worst Tigers conversation is already happening just days after their season ended

The Detroit Tigers' rollercoaster of a season came to an end Friday, when they suffered a 3-2 defeat in 15 innings at the hands of the Seattle Mariners.

The Tigers now face an offseason full of big decisions, but one looms above them all: what to do with Tarik Skubal. Their homegrown ace, who appears poised to win his second American League Cy Young award in as many years, is set to become a free agent after the 2026 season – unless, of course, the Tigers sign him to an extension before then. Unfortunately, yet unsurprisingly, that doesn't seem like a realistic possibility.

While there's still plenty of time for the Tigers to put together a competitive offer, it's unlikely that Skubal will sign early without testing the free agent market, where he has the potential to become MLB's first $400 million pitcher.

So, the question becomes: Should the Tigers trade Skubal this winter so they can net some value in return, or should they retain him through 2026 and let him walk for nothing in free agency? Where have we heard this before? The media has been gearing up to talk about this more seriously for about 18 months now.

Tarik Skubal's days in Detroit appear to be numbered amid offseason trade speculation

And it's certainly going to drag Tigers fans down as they try to cope with the possibility of Skubal pitching elsewhere, whether it's in 2026 or 2027.

After making $10.15 million in 2025, Skubal is entering his final year of arbitration, where MLB Trade Rumors projects him to earn $17.8 million. But there's an argument to be made that he could be earning his 2026 salary somewhere other than Detroit if there's no chance of a contract extension to keep him with the Tigers.

If the Tigers decide to trade Skubal this winter, they could likely get a better trade package than they would if they held onto him and looked to deal him at the July trade deadline. Of course, Detroit would then be without its ace in 2026 – but if the front office thinks the team can win without him, then why not trade him now?

Either way, the fact that signing Skubal to an extension isn't even considered an option for the Tigers is fairly telling with regard to his long term future with the organization. Either that, or ... the media is trying to push him out of Detroit and to a more high-profile contender? Who's to say?

The proverbial body is not even cold yet after Detroit's 2025 season came to an end, so fans would certainly like a reprieve from this topic of conversation at least for another month and a half before offseason rumors begin to heat up.