Tigers fans are still suspicious of a Tarik Skubal trade despite insider reassurances

While many MLB insiders believe that there is no way the Detroit Tigers will trade ace Tarik Skubal, fans are not quite so sure.

One fan took to social media to write the following about president of baseball operations Scott Harris and the way he keeps things close to the vest:

"Detroit Tigers' Scott Harris' moves have never been leaked. Not a single report that they were interested in Framber Valdez, taking everyone by surprise. But now, some in the media "know" that Harris will be keeping Tarik Skubal. Just too funny."

It's a fair point. Harris is notoriously secretive so any concrete statements from reporters about what the Tigers plan to do with Skubal are almost certainly hogwash.

Tigers fans not convinced that team won't trade Tarik Skubal

Of course, there is common sense which suggests that the Tigers certainly do not plan on trading Skubal soon. Detroit is clearly making a push to compete this year. They signed Framber Valdez to a big contract and reunited with Justin Verlander, so this is not a team looking to punt on 2026.

That said, things could change if the Tigers have a bad first half and are a long shot to make the playoffs at the trade deadline. In that case, there is really no reason for the team to hold onto Skubal since he is set to be a free agent following the season and seems quite likely to go to another team. Part of why Detroit signed Valdez was to guard against losing Skubal so they will still have an ace in 2027.

For now, though, this is a team intent upon winning. They are coming off two straight playoff appearances and no team would want to face the Tigers' one-two punch of Skubal and Valdez in the playoffs. Those are two of the toughest left-handed pitchers in the game so facing them back-to-back in a playoff series would not be fun for anyone.

Perhaps the team is preparing some contingency plans behind the scenes if things go south. Reports suggest that Harris is not setting a firm asking price for Skubal and is instead letting teams come to him with offers. This is a smart strategy because Detroit can say it is not actively shopping Skubal while at the same time listening if any teams are willing to make an aggressive offer.

Big moves can come seemingly out of nowhere — like the Valdez deal — so Tigers fans know that no matter what the insiders say, Harris could have a surprise up his sleeve.