Tigers fans losing it as absurd Tarik Skubal topic hits during Sunday Night Baseball

The Tigers got another spot in primetime on ESPN's Sunday Night Baseball for the series finale of a three-game set against the Rangers. Detroit was already going to walk away with a series loss, having dropped the first two, but with Tarik Skubal on the bump and the Tigers still running with one of the best records in baseball despite a recent skid, it was kind of a no-brainer.

Skubal shook off a bumpy All-Star appearance and pitched another gem, racking up 11 strikeouts in 6 2/3 scoreless innings. However, he'd gotten into some trouble in the seventh, when Adolis García doubled and Kyle Higashioka singled to put runners on the corners. AJ Hinch pulled Skubal and replaced him with Tyler Holton but almost immediately lived to regret it; Holton threw a wild pitch to Cody Freeman, which allowed García to score and tie the game.

The Tigers eventually walked away with the win thanks to a Matt Vierling RBI double. It snapped a six-game losing streak and made Detroit the first team in baseball to 60 wins, but for some reason, ESPN thought it was a good idea to use their time to speculate on where Skubal might go in free agency.

Analyst Buster Olney said, instead of crediting Skubal for the great work he'd done with the Tigers, "He is set to land $400 million after next season. The question is whether it'll come from the Yankees, the Dodgers, or the Mets."

ESPN derails Tarik Skubal's start, Tigers' streak-ending win with speculation on his free agency

Tigers fans don't need any more reminders that the speculated $400 million price tag attached to Skubal after the 2026 season may be far too pricey for the team, or that teams like the Yankees, Dodgers, and Mets always seem to get their way, especially during a season when the Tigers are exceeding all expectations and actually giving fans real reasons to get their hopes up about a World Series.

However, even a former Tiger hopped on the bandwagon to advocate for Skubal going to the Yankees. Cameron Maybin, also a former Bomber, said "there's only one place Skubal belongs...rocking pinstripes in the Bronx!"

Maybin's replies are filled with angry Tigers fans, but that didn't stop him from doubling down in subsequent tweets. Maybe he's just upset that the Tigers never gave him a full-time job on the broadcast despite a lot of begging online, but he definitely won't be getting one now.

Tigers fans know that if the front office can't offer him a meaningful extension, Skubal will get to free agency and probably leave after next season, but can everyone just let us enjoy the guy while we have him? We could understand if Skubal only had a couple months left in Detroit, but he's got a year and a half.