Tarik Skubal Responds to MLB Trade Rumors Ahead of Contract Year With Tigers

Detroit Tigers ace Tarik Skubal has been involved in trade rumors as he prepares to enter a contract year with the team.

Skubal discussed his reaction to the rumors when asked if he previously believed that he wouldn't be a member of the Tigers in 2026 during a Thursday appearance on the Flippin' Bats podcast.

"I want to make sure I word this right 'cause I don't want to get taken out of context, you know," Skubal said. "It's not that I was worried about getting traded 'cause obviously that's out of my control, but it's one of those things you can't really worry about it. And I don't want that to sound like I didn't want to be a Detroit Tiger. That's not what I want that to sound like. I want it to sound like it's out of my control, so I can't really stress about it. You know, it does me no good to have it impact my offseason workouts or have it impact my day-to-day life. It's just something I can't focus on."

"But you know, sure, it crept into my mind," he added. "I've seen a lot of stuff, whether it be true or I don't know what was reported or how factual a lot of that stuff was. But yeah, I mean I saw it, I definitely saw it. As far as it impacting me, try to not. You know, I think I spent a lot of time answering questions from family like, 'Hey, are you going to get traded?' Like, 'you're going to find out probably five minutes after I do.' If something happens, that's kind of how it goes."

Skubal won his arbitration case on Feb. 5 and was awarded a $32 million salary for the 2026 season.

The Tigers initially offered him $19 million, per ESPN's Jeff Passan.

Jon Heyman of the New York Post also reported that a gap of "close to $250 million" existed in contract extension negotiations between Skubal and Detroit in Oct. 2025.

According to Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic, Skubal could potentially receive a contract worth $400 million for his next deal.

If the Tigers aren't willing to meet his asking price, they might choose to part ways with him on the trade market instead of letting him walk in free agency at the end of his 2026 campaign.

Skubal wrapped up another stellar season in 2025, posting a 13-6 record in 31 starts to go along with a 2.21 ERA and 0.891 WHIP. He amassed 241 strikeouts compared to 33 walks in 195.1 innings of work.

Skubal played a key role in Detroit making an American League Division Series appearance, compiling a 1.74 ERA while averaging 15.7 strikeouts per nine innings across three postseason starts.

He earned his second consecutive AL Cy Young Award for his efforts and finished No. 5 in AL MVP voting.

The Tigers focused on building their rotation around Skubal during the offseason, handing left-hander Framber Valdez a three-year contract worth $115 million on Feb. 4.

The trade deadline for the 2026 season will be on Aug. 3.