Tigers' Tarik Skubal Sends Message as Trade Deadline Nears

USA TODAY Network

Tigers' Tarik Skubal Sends Message as Trade Deadline Nears

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Miracle Dimwesh | Last updated Jul 12, 2026 1:22 PM ET

Tarik Skubal has a message for the Detroit Tigers front office, and it is not subtle.

The two-time AL Cy Young winner addressed the upcoming August 3 trade deadline after his most recent start, saying he wants the Tigers to be buyers, not sellers, as the club tries to make a run in the second half. Skubal has been one of the best pitchers in baseball since returning from left elbow surgery in June, and he made clear he believes this roster is good enough to compete.

"Hopefully the decision-makers see that we're a very good team and it's not sell at the deadline, it's add," Skubal said, per Will Burchfield of the Detroit Free Press. "We've had some unlucky losses, beat ourselves up a bit, some injury stuff including myself."

Tarik Skubal has informed friends he badly wants to stay in Detroit for the rest of the season and has zero appetite to be traded, per @BNightengale. pic.twitter.com/nAN8ibfkqH
— Foul Territory (@FoulTerritoryTV) July 12, 2026

The Tigers enter the All-Star break at 44-51 and fourth in the AL Central, about 5.5 games behind the division leaders. Despite the record, Detroit has been one of the hottest teams in baseball since June, posting the best mark in the AL over that stretch.

Skubal, 29, returned from left elbow surgery in mid-June after missing roughly six weeks. Across 12 starts, he is 5-4 with a 3.06 ERA, 0.95 WHIP and 84 strikeouts in 70 2/3 innings.

He is in the final year of his contract at $32 million, represented by Scott Boras, and is expected to test free agency after the season. That makes him the Tigers' most valuable potential trade chip if management decides to sell.

Detroit Tigers pitcher Tarik Skubal (29)USA TODAY Network

Skubal won back-to-back AL Cy Young Awards in 2024 and 2025, including the pitching Triple Crown in 2025 with an 18-4 record, 2.39 ERA and 228 strikeouts. He was drafted by Detroit in the ninth round of the 2018 MLB Draft out of Seattle University.

How GM Scott Harris responds to the deadline will determine whether Skubal finishes his Tigers career in Detroit or ends up somewhere else in October.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

More must-reads: