Trade rumors around Detroit Tigers ace Tarik Skubal are swirling as the team struggles to put together a new contract before the end of 2026.
A significant gap in talks is threatening to torpedo the Tigers’ ability to lock in Skubal for the long term, reportedly as large as $250 million. Detroit might have insulted their ace with a low offer following his 2024 Cy Young campaign at a four-year, $80 million price tag. Now, Skubal could be looking for something north of $400 million and a longer contract.
Experts are suggesting the team could trade the Cy Young award winner this winter if they can’t bridge the canyon-sized gap between their camps. The problem is, most teams are either struggling with their own contract issues or lack the capital to trade for Skubal. A trade for a pitcher with one year of control would also likely lead to headaches and heartbreak for the team that wins a sweepstakes.
There are, however, four teams that are in contention for the 28-year-old left-hander.
This team needs everything now, from their disastrous collapse out of the 2025 MLB postseason to the opt-outs of Pete Alonso and Edwin Diaz. Owner Steve Cohen needs to make a serious move to win the fanbase back and show baseball that the New York Mets are still a relevant team.
The team had very little to watch in terms of the pitching department, especially when it came to their starters. Griffin Canning, arguably their more intriguing starter, was lost for the year with an Achilles injury. Clay Holmes’ conversion to a starter was rough, while Kodai Senga cannot stay healthy. Left-handers Sean Manaea and David Peterson also struggled.
At the very least, New York had some hope in the form of 24-year-old right-hander Nolan McLean, who tossed a 2.06 ERA over eight starts in 2025. Jonah Tong also had some good starts, but got blown up by the end of the year, with two games which he failed to pitch three innings. Brandon Sproat also had some good starts for the Mets to look forward to.
Detroit will likely target McLean in any discussions to take pressure off of Casey Mize and Jackson Jobe in 2026. It’s more likely the Mets would surrender Tong or Sproat (or both, perhaps) and two prospects. The Tigers need outfielders, so Jett Williams or Carson Benge are on the table. When Steve Cohen wants something, no price is too high. They might even tear down parts of their roster to start over.
Hypothetical Trade: Skubal for Sproat, Tong, Williams, Jeff McNeil and Huascar Brazoban.
Boston’s come up frequently in these hypotheticals since the end of the 2025 World Series. Skubal would fit perfectly in this rotation and give Garrett Crochet a dependable ally for 2026. It could also take pressure off of rookie pitcher Connelly Early and even Payton Tolle, should he come to Massachusetts.
The team needs pitching like the Mets do, seeing that they won’t have Tanner Houck in 2026 and could potentially lose Lucas Giolito in free agency. Brayan Bello needs protection in the rotation, and Hunter Dobbins is also recovering from a torn ACL. Early and Tolle have potential, but also risk busting early in the season if they can’t pull it together.
Boston also has room in payroll space to maneuver, sitting at $135 million for 2026 as of Nov. 6. No Alex Bregman would be a big loss for their offense, but if it means getting Skubal and retaining him for multiple years afterwards, it would be rewarding. Plus, their young corps in Roman Anthony and Marcelo Mayer could absolutely pick up the slack if they need to.
The Boston Red Sox’s farm system is still surprisingly deep, but could be a little light in the pitching department. It’s hard to see them parting with Tolle, but Early could be movable after his performance in the 2025 Wild Card. Jhostynxon Garcia would be great for the Tigers’ outfield in an offensive sense, and strikeout machine Brandon Clarke could be a token in a trade. With Gleyber Torres hitting free agency as well, perhaps the struggling Kristian Campbell could be on the table? If they want team control at second, David Hamilton is an option.
Hypothetical Trade: Skubal for Triston Casas, Garcia, Clarke, Tolle, and Campbell or Hamilton
Dave Dombrowski so badly wants a championship for the Philadelphia Phillies, but that window is closing fast. Kyle Schwarber and Ranger Suarez are hitting free agency this year, and Zach Wheeler is recovering from surgery to remove a blood clot. Taijuan Walker isn’t a guaranteed starter, and Aaron Nola fell off a cliff.
The core of their offense is still here in catcher J.T. Realmuto and first baseman Bryce Harper, along with shortstop Trea Turner. They still need a lot to get them to a World Series. Skubal would be a good start, even if it’s just for a single year. On top of that, they still have Jhoan Duran as the closer, and Jose Alvarado is coming back from his suspension in 2026.
It would be a tight window for the team to maneuver in 2026 and beyond, given that they already have $180 million in payroll, but anything to win a championship. They also still have top pitching prospect Andrew Painter and a sneaky good prospect in outfielder Gabriel Rincones Jr. Unfortunately, that might also result in parting with shortstop Aidan Miller, who could fill the void at second for Detroit.
This might be one of the outlier predictions on this list, but it’s still entirely possible.
Hypothetical Trade: Skubal for Painter, Rincones Jr., Miller and Justin Crawford.
A true nightmare scenario for the league is Skubal joining forces with Shohei Ohtani and Yoshinobu Yamamoto. There’s very little to explain here.
Clayton Kershaw is retiring, which opens up a slot for the Los Angeles Dodgers to fill either with Emmet Sheehan or Landon Knack. Plus, they seem to never have a budget, so it’s only natural to suspect that the Dodgers could at least check in and see what they could do. Offense likely won’t be a problem, but having a sturdy rotation that won’t get injured often will be.
They also have the deepest farm system in the MLB, with seven players on Pipeline’s top 100 rankings. It’s top-heavy, but dangling outfielders and a pitcher or two in Detroit’s face might make them say yes. If it does happen, then worrying about a lockout in 2027 is justified.
Hypothetical Trade: Skubal for Zyhir Hope, Jackson Ferris, River Ryan and Alex Freeland
This could have been avoided if the Tigers had seized the opportunity early and made a sensible offer in 2024. Now, though, it’s unlikely Skubal stays even if he’s not traded during this offseason. If that’s the case, Detroit should get some return on value instead of losing him for nothing in free agency. Either build a winning team or take the value you can get.
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