Insider Reveals What It Would Take to Trade for Detroit Ace Tarik Skubal
The biggest story of the offseason is back, as trade speculation surrounding Tarik Skubal is heating up once again.
Staring down the final year of his contract, the Detroit Tigers and Skubal's camp led by agent Scott Boras met for arbitration. The two sides were world apart in their valuations of the starting pitcher's worth, with the Tigers coming in at $19 million, a full $13 million off of Skubal's number.
Ultimately, Skubal won the arbitration hearing as the three-person panel accepted his $32 million salary proposal for 2026. This event all but confirmed what many already believed about the situation brewing in Detroit: the reigning back-to-back American League Cy Young winner will not be re-signing with the Tigers after the season.
With the two sides clearly at odds and Skubal likely to leave, it made sense for Detroit at least gauge the market on a potential trade. But there were a few forces at play that made the decision to move on before the season tricky.
One is Skubal's expiring deal. Any team that wanted to send a haul for one of the best pitchers in the league had to at least consider themselves in the mix to re-sign him at the end of the year, or be willing to pay the steep price for just a one-year rental.
Most teams are not positioned to pay a player like Skubal what he will ultimately be looking for on the open market, but there are certainly some teams out there that would.
Another factor that potentially delayed a move was the Tigers' belief in their ability to contend in 2026. After losing Skubal's arbitration, Detroit turned around and signed free agent southpaw Framber Valdez for three years at $115 million. This move doubled as a replacement plan for Skubal's departure and also an immediate investment, pairing two of the league's best left-handers at the top of their rotation.
But after a decent start to the year, the Tigers have lost 14 of their last 16 games and sit at 20-31 in last place in the AL Central. To make matters worse, the club saw Skubal undergo surgery two weeks ago to remove a loose body in his left elbow that was expected to sideline him for two or three months.
Skubal looks to be well ahead of schedule, throwing a multi-inning bullpen session on Thursday where he appeared in great spirits after hitting his velocity goal. With Skubal on the mend and the Tigers scuffling, the obvious trade conversation is starting up again.
MLB insider Jon Heyman took to Twitter on Thursday to lay out the reasons why the chances of a trade are rising.
Tarik Skubal trade chances are rising.
— Jon Heyman (@JonHeyman) May 21, 2026
1. Tigers have lost 14 of 16 and are in last and 5 games out in WC race. 2. Tigers have 5 starters on IL. 3. Skubal is progressing since elbow scope. 4. Tigers chances to extend him are nil.
If the Tigers do plan on trading Skubal, they find themselves again in a difficult situation with opposing forces. One is the importance of his health and ensuring he is fit to perform on the team looking to acquire him. The other is the time that continues to tick away, lessening the value based on the amount of time the acquiring team will have the ace before having to hand him a massive contract.
With this, insider Robert Murray of FanSided spoke with three major league executives on what the current market is for Skubal and what it would take for a team to get him.
With the Tigers losing 14 of 16, @JonHeyman said the chances of a Tarik Skubal trade are "rising." So what could they get in return for the star left-hander? https://t.co/FGRrho36Bi
— Robert Murray (@ByRobertMurray) May 22, 2026
One executive noted his "bizarre injury" as a reason for hesitation along with the Tigers continued desire to win, ultimately putting his price at "one top-100 prospect plus a top-15 and one more throw in."
Interestingly, this anonymous executive was asked if he would pay this price for Skubal. Without answering directly, the executive said, "The Padres will."
The next executive also pointed to the San Diego Padres as a possibility, naming president of baseball operations A.J. Preller and Philadelphia Phillies president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski as the only two who would dish out a top prospect for Skubal. The rest, he said, "[treat] it like Wall Street and asset value" and wouldn't be willing to pay such a steep price for only a couple of months guaranteed.
This executive also provided the most daunting possibility, saying that the Los Angeles Dodgers and Andrew Friedman are his prediction to land Skubal in an effort to cement their position as a heavy World Series favorite.
The final executive that Murray spoke to highlighted the injury risk with Skubal coming off of surgery but also pointed out that "it's tough for a team to just come up with the close to $12-14 million he will be owed after a trade that isn't budgeted for," adding that "if the Tigers pay down the salary the return could be better."
The Tigers are faced yet again with an impossible decision. By waiting until halfway through the season and with Skubal's injury, they certainty left some value on the table. Now as the days go by waiting for his return to the mound, this value continues to diminish as teams will get less and less time with the ace this season.
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This story was originally published May 22, 2026 at 11:31 AM.