With scores of Tarik Skubal mock trades flooding the internet these days, it might be difficult for some to remember that the Detroit Tigers don't have to trade Skubal, and shouldn't.
Wherever contract discussions may lie between Skubal, Scott Boras and Detroit's front office, the truth remains that trading a back-to-back Cy Young Award winner makes you worse, not better (at least in the short-term), and the Tigers have every reason to try and contend in 2026. They can do so by keeping Skubal in Detroit as long as possible.
Trade rumors will continue to swirl as long as the Tigers and Skubal remain extension-less, however.