The Detroit Tigers might be the biggest story of the 2025 MLB offseason because of who they traded away. Tarik Skubal, the back-to-back AL Cy Young Award winner, has been in trade rumors entering the final year of his contract. However, will the Tigers really trade Skubal during the offseason?
According to ESPN’s Buster Olney, a “highly ranked MLB executive” believes the Tigers are going to get “blown away” by an offer and trade Skubal this offseason. Detroit has a high asking price for the best pitcher in MLB, but teams might be willing to part ways with a massive package to acquire his services.
In 2025, Skubal posted a 2.21 ERA and a 0.89 WHIP, both career highs. Shockingly, Skubal performed better than when he won the Cy Young unanimously in 2024, but he didn’t have the same number of wins. That was mostly due to Detroit’s lack of run support throughout the season.
If the Tigers believe they cannot sign Skubal to an extension, it would be wise to trade him for a massive haul this offseason. Obviously, Detroit would like to compete with Skubal in 2026, but it might be more beneficial for its long-term future to trade the best pitcher in baseball.
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