Tigers’ biggest mistake after 2026 MLB trade deadline

The Detroit Tigers made one of the biggest moves of the MLB trade deadline, sending Tarik Skubal to the Los Angeles Dodgers. They also sent former first-overall pick Casey Mize to the San Diego Padres. Picking the seller’s lane was not the mistake, however. The Tigers did not sell enough and did not set themselves up for success in the future, which was their biggest misstep.

Skubal was in trade rumors from the second last season ended. With his team control expiring and unrestricted free agency pending, Detroit could not afford the two-time defending Cy Young winner’s extension. Trading him to the Dodgers felt like an inevitability from the jump, and that’s where he landed.

The Tigers bolstered the NL West race as well, sending Mize to the Padres. While he struggled in his first start, selling the pitcher was a smart move given the immediate future in Detroit. San Diego needed a starter, and they traded two lefty pitching prospects to land him.

Outside of that, the Tigers did not trade away any veterans. Gleyber Torres, Kenley Jansen, Jack Flaherty, and Kyle Finnegan could all fit on contenders. Detroit may say they are among those playoff contenders, considering they are 1.5 games out of the final Wild Card spot. But a true playoff contender would not trade their best pitcher in the middle of a race.

Trading Skubal was the raising of the white flag for the Tigers. Without their ace, they have no chance of making a deep run in the postseason. And even if they did, they would run into a pitching powerhouse in the New York Yankees that they could not match. They already struggled in the postseason with Skubal. Without him, they will be dead meat in October.

The Tigers needed to sell more to move into a new era after parting with Skubal.

The Tigers needed to sell more pieces

Many players on the Tigers could have been traded at the deadline. Plus, they don’t have to look far to see a deadline firesale working out for a team. The Minnesota Twins traded everyone on their team with any value last year, besides Byron Buxton and Joe Ryan. With those two players leading the way, they are a half-game above the Tigers in the standings.

The Tigers needed to identify the true members of their core moving forward before the deadline. Kevin McGonigle, Riley Greene, Colt Keith, and Spencer Torkelson start that list. Those players could be considered untouchable at the deadline, and no one would bat an eye. But that leaves many veterans who could have been dealt to restock the pipeline.

Torres signed the qualifying offer last year, giving him a $22 million salary for the 2026 season. After that, he will be a free agent once again, and Detroit is unlikely to give him a long-term deal. With the league-wide struggles defensively at second base, Torres’ struggles there are not a huge concern. The Texas Rangers, Tampa Bay Rays, and Philadelphia Phillies all could have used an infielder. Only Philly brought one in, trading for Luis Arraez, who has struggled defensively in the past.

There were a shockingly low number of relievers traded at the deadline. Part of the reason is that the Tigers held onto Jansen and Finnegan when they did not need to. They could have gotten another solid prospect from the Yankees, who did not get the reliever they needed, but held onto them anyway.

The Tigers’ future changed dramatically when they traded Skubal away. They have no chance of bringing him back now, and they have a lot of questions to answer moving forward.

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