Tigers fans' conspiracy theory about Tarik Skubal, MLB The Show 26 holds weight

A few weeks ago, eagle-eyed fans noticed that MLB The Show had quietly changed their website's color scheme to orange and a dark navy blue. It sparked speculation about who was coming as the yet-to-be-announced cover athlete, but the resounding answer was the Tigers' Tarik Skubal.

There was a small contingent of Mets fans gunning for Juan Soto, but two-time Cy Young winner Skubal — with that color scheme — gave Tigers fans a stronger argument. Miguel Cabrera is still the only Tiger (in a Tigers uniform; Javy Báez featured as a Cub in 2020) to have appeared on the cover, all the way back in 2014.

But, on Monday, the game's official accounts announced that there would not be a new cover athlete this year. Emphasis on the new.

The next day, they bored everyone with their ultimate pick: Aaron Judge, who graced the cover in 2018. It's the first time the game is repeating a cover athlete.

Tigers fans were rightfully upset, but it also meant that a paranoid fanbase just got even more paranoid. What if Skubal had been the initial plan, but Sony had to pivot because they were scared of an incoming trade?

MLB The Show passing over Tarik Skubal as cover athlete sparks new trade rumors

Sure, maybe it was never going to be Skubal and was always going to be boring Aaron Judge, but that color scheme screamed "Tigers."

Skubal trade rumors have died down since the Mets traded for Freddy Peralta. Detroit's front office reportedly told the Yankees explicitly that they didn't have the juice to get it done. Given the outrageous, five-prospect trade return to the Nationals for MacKenzie Gore, Skubal's price will be astronomical. The Dodgers are the only ones who might be able to get it done, and they're more likely to hold out until the price is forced lower at the trade deadline.

But we all know that these rumors are going to be inescapable until the end of the 2026 season. Paranoid Tigers fans will stay paranoid, and greedy Dodgers/Mets/Yankees fans will stay greedy.

And the annoyance, chagrin, anger, what have you, is at least a little bit about Detroit erasure. The baseball video game had a chance to put a two-time Cy Young winner on the cover, and they redirected to a guy who's already been there, done that. If Skubal ends up on the cover as soon as he's wearing a new uniform, Sony will be hearing about it from Tigers fans.