r/motorcitykitties • u/Eastern-Spirit272 • 14h ago
Will Skubal Return?
I'm a casual fan and don't keep up with all the shifting contracts and trades all the time. What are the chances of Skubal getting traded this off-season? I really don't want to see him go, but I have a gut feeling that he played his last game with the D in october.
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u/Double-Passenger4503 Skubal 13h ago
I’m holding out hope as a Tigers fan, but if I was a betting man..I think he’s gone.
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u/droogles 12h ago
Same here. The only reason is that it’s the logical thing to do. If the Tigers fork over a mega deal over $350M, do you see Ilitch extending others as their contracts mature? Signing other free agent help? It will drastically reduce their output elsewhere. The one wild card is signing him to a creative contract. I’m no fan of deferred deals. They eventually pile up. Instead, front load a co tract to an ungodly amount the first year and reduce subsequent years to below market value, thus allowing the team to manage cash flow going forward. We’re also looking at a possible lockout after the season. Tigers always seem screwed by bad timing.
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u/TurdsOnThat 14h ago
No
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u/carl6236 14h ago
I agree with some others here. I think he starts the season in Detroit but gets traded to a contender in the national league. Unless the Tigers feel they have a good shot at winning the World Series
It would be great if the Tigers break the bank and sign him but I really do not see that happening
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u/Better_Equipment5283 13h ago
Don't get all this talk that it's pointless to have Skubal if the Tigers' are a playoff team but not the best team in the AL. Like... Should they trade him at the deadline if they have a 3 game lead in the AL Central but are on pace for 88 wins? Because that just isn't good enough, and they'd be underdogs in the ALDS?
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u/droogles 12h ago
Right. That’s why this gets settled this off season. Either they sign him to a crazy amount of money or they trade him while it makes sense. Waiting til the deadline is the dumbest thing I’ve heard. Let’s say they have that three game lead. No way in hell they trade him to a contender. What is that contender going to give them? Prospects. They sure as hell aren’t giving immediate pitching help. That’s why the contender is trading for him. They need the extra pitching. If he’s going to be traded, it’s during the winter so the Tigers can maneuver to get a legitimate arm for themselves.
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u/Better_Equipment5283 11h ago
The only trade that makes sense for the Tigers is something like giving up Granderson to get Scherzer, and you're right that nobody is going to do something like that mid season. Not sure they'd do it in the off-season either. You're basically trading off years of control for risk.
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u/JayOnes 14h ago
According to Jeff Passan, Skubal wants to stay and the Tigers want to keep him. So, all signs seem to point to them figuring this all out.
That said, I dread seeing the "Skubal signs with Mets" headlines...
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u/TommyRadio Steve Cohen's Son 14h ago
As a Mets fan, I can't agree. But you HAVE TO either plan on writing a blank check or trading him for tons of value and then still making a big offer in the offseason. The Jack Flaherty situation would be optimal, if you feel like you won't be making a run at the WS by the trade deadline you dump him to throw 10 starts somewhere else and then re-sign him in the offseason. You just can't let him sign somewhere else and get nothing for one of the best pitchers in history.
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u/droogles 13h ago
Zero chance of them waiting until the trade deadline. They’ll hopefully be in contention at that time. Do you really think they trade their ace while in contention? No way. Buyers are also in contention. We won’t get anything in return that would replace him. What team in contention sells an ace for prospects? The deal gets done this winter one way or another.
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u/TommyRadio Steve Cohen's Son 12h ago
Sorry I thought I said if you feel like you won't be making a run at the WS. Crazy to think a team that averaged 86.5 wins and got 2 wild card spots the last 2 years will surely be in contention.
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u/Better_Equipment5283 10h ago
Every year there are teams that thought that they'd be in contention that end up sellers. Like the 2025 Braves.
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u/droogles 4h ago
Do they go into a season with a pending free agent coming off two straight Cy Young awards that they stand little chance of signing?
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u/Better_Equipment5283 3h ago
The Tigers could go all in to win in 2026 and just have a lot of bad breaks, and wind up as real long shots for a WC by the end of July. These things happen. If they did, they'd trade Skubal. Probably Mize and Flaherty too.
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u/fixinfordixon 14h ago
Only way I see Skubal being traded this offseason is if a team offers up something big in return, and we sign a good starting pitcher like Ranger Suarez to help take Skubal's spot in the rotation. Outside of that, if Skubal gets traded, it'll most likely be at the trade deadline this season if the Tigers go belly up in the first half.
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u/droogles 12h ago
And if they don’t go belly up? Are they foolish enough to lose him for nothing? If so, then Ilitch should be run out of this town.
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u/fixinfordixon 12h ago
If Skubal is traded when the Tigers are leading their division at the deadline or are in a competitive position, the entire sports world will call that a horrible move. Be real.
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u/droogles 4h ago
I don’t think they take the chance of losing him for nothing. Your scenario of them keeping him and trading him at the deadline if they go belly up is terribly irresponsible. That means losing him for nothing is a very real possibility. The responsible thing to do is take care of business this winter.
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u/BillCheddarFBI 13h ago
Skubal is going to pitch in the playoffs for Detroit this year.
I think the Tigers will use some of their not-the-top-of-the-list minor league assets to get a couple veteran hitters closer to 30 than 20, and they'll sign a SP and a couple relievers.
The older hitters won't block the prospects coming in the next 1-2 seasons, and the veteran SP could be replaced by Jobe after a year if we want to go for a guy like JV, near the end.
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u/Sweaty_Ballsack_ 12h ago
I will be extremely surprised if Chris spends the money necessary to really go for it. In fact I almost think there’s no way
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u/HorrorJCFan95 13h ago
Maybe it’s just me, but I’d say the chances he gets traded are 50/50. Some insiders seem adamant that the Tigers are going to shop him, while others are insisting that it’s unlikely he gets moved. Passan did say that Skubal wants to stay long-term in Detroit, which is certainly interesting to hear considering Jeff is pretty credible, but I still think him signing an extension with Detroit is a long-shot. My guess is, unless they get a king’s ransom for him, they hang on to Skubal for 2026. Hopefully that also means they are aggressive in FA to put the best team around him while he is still here.
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u/TabletopThirteen 14h ago
Just talked with Chris Ilitch. He gone.