Tarik Skubal, the starting pitcher for the Detroit Tigers, has been linked to the Orioles in recent reports. One scout even went to Orioles minor league games to watch top prospect Jackson Holliday. The Tigers’ great pitcher has been the subject of trade deadline rumors recently, but according to several MLB executives, he is sticking put.
“They aren’t trading [Tarik Skubal],” one rival executive told The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal. “No chance they move him,” echoed another.
It’s understandable why the Tigers would want to hold onto Skubal after his remarkable start to the 2024 season.
At 27, Skubal has arguably been the best pitcher in Major League Baseball this year, boasting a league-leading 2.35 ERA, 12 wins, and 154 strikeouts in 130 innings. In his 21 starts, he has pitched at least 6 innings 18 times. His shortest outing was on June 19th, when he was pulled after allowing four earned runs on seven hits in four innings during a 7-0 loss to the Braves in Atlanta.
Tarik Skubal staying put despite Tigers’ active trade talks
While Skubal has been dominant in the first half of the season, the Tigers have been mediocre, with a 52-55 record, 12 games behind the first-place Guardians in the AL Central. MLB experts predict the team will likely trade fellow ace Jack Flaherty and other assets before the MLB trade deadline to focus on rebuilding.
Flaherty, a veteran, will be a free agent in 2025 and could earn more than the $14 million the Tigers paid him in 2024.
Tarik Skubal, on the other hand, is under team control through 2027 and is expected to be a cornerstone for the team in 2025. Skubal’s current contract pays him $2,650,000 in 2024. After a potential Cy Young-winning season in 2024, Skubal and his agent Scott Boras will likely secure a substantial increase during arbitration in 2025—a price the Tigers are willing to pay.