What looked like a magical 2025 for Detroit Tigers fans has suddenly turned into a nightmare scenario as the offseason unfolds. The Tigers spent most of the year as the best team in baseball, but a September collapse saw them step backwards into the playoffs, and eventually, run out of gas against the Seattle Mariners in the ALDS.
While conventional wisdom would suggest that the Tigers should push their chips to the middle of the table for 2026, all signs continue to point to Tarik Skubal getting traded this offseason.
What ignited the Skubal trade rumors was the initial report from the New York Post's Jon Heyman, suggesting that there was a $250 million-sized gap in negotiations between the reigning American League Cy Young Award winner and the Tigers.