Overview
- Rival front-office officials told ESPN's Buster Olney on July 17 that they are skeptical Detroit will move Tarik Skubal before the Aug. 3 trade deadline unless the team collapses after the All-Star break.
- Skubal is a 29-year-old lefty who won back-to-back AL Cy Young Awards in 2024 and 2025 and has posted strong season numbers, including a 3.09 ERA, 0.95 WHIP and 89 strikeouts in 75.2 innings.
- The pitcher missed more than a month after a procedure to remove loose bodies from his left elbow but has been effective since returning, strengthening Detroit's case to keep him for a playoff push.
- Skubal is in the final year of his contract, which gives the Tigers a clear trade calculus: trade now for prospects or keep him and risk losing him in free agency with no return.
- Tigers president of baseball operations Scott Harris is expected to make an objective assessment of Detroit's postseason chances and could flip Skubal if the club's second-half form and playoff odds deteriorate.