Tigers' disastrous second half might ensure Tarik Skubal's free agency departure

The Detroit Tigers entered the 2025 season with renewed swagger and legitimate championship aspirations. Powered by reigning AL Cy Young Award winner Tarik Skubal, a deep rotation, and a lineup that looked just competent enough to hold its own, Detroit surged through the summer months as one of the most balanced teams in the league. At one point, they owned the best record in baseball, built a commanding division lead, and inspired hope that the long rebuild was finally paying off.

But baseball seasons will always find a way of exposing weaknesses, and the Tigers’ second half has turned into a collapse of historic proportions. Since early September, the club has unraveled, watching what was once a 14-game cushion in the AL Central shrink to dust. Seven straight losses, defeats in 10 of their last 11 contests, and a surging Guardians squad have flipped the standings upside down. Fans who once envisioned a postseason coronation are instead left staring at the wreckage of missed opportunities and wondering if this collapse is the final straw in Tarik Skubal’s relationship with the franchise.

Detroit’s meltdown makes Tarik Skubal’s Tigers exit feel inevitable

Skubal’s future looms larger with every defeat. Projected to command a staggering $400 million deal over 10 years when he hits free agency after the 2026 season, the left-hander is positioned to surpass Yoshinobu Yamamoto’s contract and set a new standard for pitching salaries. The Tigers, hesitant to hand out mega-deals since the early 2010s, face a financial and philosophical crossroad. Even if ownership shocked the league by meeting that figure, would Skubal truly want to tie the prime of his career to a team that let a dream season spiral out of control?

The failure is not difficult to diagnose. Detroit’s front office played conservatively at the trade deadline, choosing not to add significant offensive firepower despite holding one of the league’s most enviable positions. Instead, they doubled down on pitching depth, acquiring a collection of arms that have largely underwhelmed. Outside of reliever Kyle Finnegan, the returns have been negligible — some relegated to the minors, others like 41-year-old Charlie Morton already designated for assignment. What was billed as a shrewd bet on depth now looks like organizational malpractice, leaving Skubal and his fellow starters with no margin for error.

The optics are incriminating. A team that once carried the aura of a contender has revealed itself as a mirage, and its inability to finish the job might be the clearest message yet to its star: success may be fleeting in Detroit, but his market value won’t be. Unless the Tigers quickly regroup and prove they can sustain success, Skubal’s path seems destined to lead elsewhere — toward a franchise ready to spend, contend, and deliver on the promise that Detroit let slip away.