Tigers-Dodgers Tarik Skubal Trade Discussion Won't Go Away

It was in December at the Winter Meetings when David Pingalore of KTLA Sports said there was momentum on a Skubal to LA trade. That never materialized, but the discussion hasn't gone away.

On Saturday, MLB Network's Tom Verducci spoke with Dodgers Nation at Spring Training. Among the topics discussed was a potential Skubal trade between LA and Detroit. While Verducci was never bullish on the possibility, he outlined the reality of this Skubal-Tigers partnership.

"I never really bought into that possibility," Verducci said of the Skubal to Dodgers buzz. "But only because of how much he means to Detroit. The Dodgers do their due diligence, we all know that."

Despite this, Verducci said Skubal re-signing with Detroit in free agency still feels unlikely due to the gap between what his market will command and what the Tigers have historically been willing to spend. And it's for this reason the Skubal trade buzz won't go away.

No matter how many times an insider pours cold water on a potential Skubal deal between Detroit and LA, the door will be kept open so long as the Tigers remain without a longterm deal with their ace. This was again seen on Monday when Jayson Stark of The Athletic reopened the Skubal trade discourse in his article ranking the players most-likely to be dealt this spring.

"Nothing about the current vibe around the Tigers suggests that they’re seriously considering moving Skubal this spring," he began. "But who knows where this is leading? He’s flooring it down the road to the richest free-agent pitching contract ever next winter. But is that happening in Detroit? Seems like an awful bet... So no wonder one rival AL Central exec wouldn’t rule this out."

This seems to be the consensus on where things stand with Skubal. The Tigers do not want to trade him. By all accounts, he does not want to be traded. But until Detroit shows a willingness to offer what he'll command in free agency, the trade noise won't go away. And despite their loaded pitching staff, the Dodgers will continue being floated as a potential suitor due to their unprecedented combination of aggression and financial resources.