Why a Tigers reunion with Tarik Skubal is not likely to happen this offseason

1 week ago 7

The Detroit Tigers are heading into the 2026-2027 MLB offseason to retool their roster after a disappointing 2026 MLB campaign. One key area to address is the starting rotation, and a reunion with Tarik Skubal would make a ton of sense.

Detroit never wanted to trade Skubal, but their poor record by the trade deadline left them little choice. But after trading him, why not re-sign him this offseason and get the long-term future with Skubal while also getting the haul for him in a trade? It would be genius.

However, there's one major issue. As MLB.com's Mark Feinsand outlined, the Tigers are not likely to re-sign Skubal this offseason, thanks to the team being unlikely to get into a bidding war for Skubal, which is almost guaranteed to happen given his market.

Why Tigers are unlikely to re-sign Tarik Skubal

"It seems unlikely that the Tigers will get involved in a bidding war, so if Skubal is determined to get every last dollar, it probably won't result in a return to the Motor City," Feinsand writes.

While a reunion between the Tigers and Skubal in free agency would make a ton of sense, there's a good reason why it's not very likely to happen this offseason.

With teams like the Los Angeles Dodgers, New York Mets, and Toronto Blue Jays, among others, set to be involved in the Skubal sweepstakes, his price tag might be a lot higher than the Tigers are comfortable going to.

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But even if they are willing to spend over $325 million on Skubal, unless the Cy Young-winning lefty isn't demanding the biggest contract possible, it's going to be difficult for Detroit to match the top contract offers on the open market.

Based on Feinsand's commentary, the Tigers would need Skubal to be willing to take a new contract that isn't the highest offer on the table to return to Detroit, or for the interest in Skubal to not be as robust as expected.

Neither of those things is likely to happen, so the odds are not in the Tigers' favor to get a reunion with Skubal this offseason.

As fun as a reunion with Skubal would be, the Tigers might be better off pursuing other options this offseason to improve their rotation, as the expected bidding war is likely to price the Tigers out of a chance for a very fun reunion.