Skubal's Cy Young dominance fuels blockbuster trade talks, but Detroit's steep demands are testing rival contenders' willingness to pay.
Tarik Skubal’s dominance on the mound has now been recognized with his second consecutive American League Cy Young Award, which he clinched last night after another stellar campaign. The 29-year-old left-hander went 13–6 with an AL-best 2.21 ERA in 31 starts during the 2025 season, racking up 241 strikeouts over 195⅓ innings. His sparkling 0.891 WHIP was the lowest among qualified pitchers in the league, underscoring the consistency and elite control that propelled him to back-to-back Cy Young honors. This achievement firmly cements Skubal as one of MLB’s elite aces and the centerpiece of the Tigers’ rotation.
That same dominance, however, has made Skubal a focal point in trade discussions again this week.
Multiple league sources from Jon Heyman and Joel Sherman of the New York Post have confirmed that the Tigers recently engaged in conversations with both the New York Yankees and New York Mets, each seeking a frontline starter to solidify their postseason aspirations. Those discussions, while serious, ultimately stalled due to Detroit’s asking price.
The Yankees, in particular, balked at proposals that would have required them to part with a package including Ben Rice, Cam Schlittler, and George Lombard Jr. While New York has shown a willingness to deal from its system in recent years, the Tigers’ demand for multiple high-end, controllable assets proved to be a non-starter for a club already weighing long-term roster balance against short-term contention.
The Mets found themselves in a similar position. Detroit reportedly asked for New York’s top five prospects, a price point that quickly pushed the Mets to reassess their options. Rather than meet that demand, New York pivoted to a more cost-controlled rotation upgrade, acquiring Freddy Peralta and effectively removing itself from the Skubal market.
From Detroit’s perspective, the stance is consistent and deliberate and continues to fuel that Scott Harris has a certain price in mind.
Skubal is entering his final year of arbitration, with his camp filing at $32 million against the Tigers’ $19 million counter. That gap underscores both his market value and the reality that, from a contractual standpoint, he profiles as a rental until free agency following the 2026 season. For many teams, that timeline complicates the math of it all. For the Tigers, it defines it. For the angle of the fans, it just buys the Tigers time to try to get him resign, regardless of the rumors surrounding him.
Detroit is not operating like a rebuilding club looking to cash in assets, which let's be honest, under the Al Avila years, fans got used to that aspect. Instead, the Tigers appear committed to leveraging Skubal’s prime as part of a continued playoff push, rather than resetting the roster. That approach explains the steep trade demands: if a team wants Detroit’s best player, it must be prepared to alter the Tigers’ long-term trajectory in return. Their minor league pitching depth is weak at the moment and with Casey Mize and Jack Flaherty potentially leaving after this season, the front office is asking a lot to replace the depth.
Winning the Cy Young only strengthens that position.
Elite pitching remains the most difficult commodity to acquire in October, and Skubal’s profile — power, command, and postseason-caliber stuff — places him squarely in that rare tier. Unless an offer fundamentally reshapes the organization’s future, the Tigers have little incentive to move him, particularly with a roster increasingly built to compete now.
For Detroit, the message is clear. Skubal is not being shopped; he is being valued. And as long as the Tigers believe they can win with him at the front of their rotation, the bar for any trade discussion will remain sky-high, Cy Young trophy and all.
Follow me on "X" @rogcastbaseball or subscribe to the TMLR podcast.
