Tigers rumors: Where Tarik Skubal trade talks stand as Winter Meetings begin

The Detroit Tigers enter the Winter Meetings surrounded by noise, with the loudest buzz centered on the Tarik Skubal trade chatter and the pressure points created by MLB Free Agency as teams search for stability. Skubal’s value sits at an undeniable peak. He posted a 2.21 ERA across 195.1 innings, struck out 241, and finished 13–6 in a season that ended with the Tigers falling to the Seattle Mariners in the ALDS. The Tigers keep telling clubs to bring their best offer. They will listen. But listening is not the same as leaning toward a deal.

Tarik Skubal stands as the reigning AL Cy Young winner. Now, he also sits one year from the open market, where many expect him to become the highest-paid pitcher in baseball history. Naturally, that changes everything for the Tigers. With only one season of control — 32 starts — teams must weigh urgency against sustainability. This isn’t a Soto scenario, where the Padres secured 2½ years of runway. Instead, this is one year, one push, one bet on winning right now, and the Tigers know that leverage cuts both ways. Ultimately, that makes even aggressive front offices hesitate.

What teams are willing to risk as the Tigers test the market

Still, the interest keeps coming. Contenders reach out hoping for a miracle, while others conduct quiet check-ins, searching for the smallest crack in Detroit’s stance. Yet the Tigers remain firm. They are not trading Tarik Skubal; they are simply open to the kind of offer that rarely exists: the type that mortgaging a farm system barely covers.

So far, no one has approached that threshold. No one has surrendered a prized arm or a blue-chip bat. Everyone wants Skubal, but no team is ready to give up its future for a 12-month gamble, not yet.

The Tigers knows they holds the strongest card of the Winter Meetings. And as the clock ticks in Nashville, the real question becomes simple: will anyone dare to play theirs this MLB Free Agency?

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