4hzglory

I’m thinking the same thing, but am glad he made this decision.

I don’t get it but am happy about it as, performance wise, for 1 season he’s comparable to most of the potential FA’s. Now go get Cease, King, or Ranger Suarez and our rotation is coming together. 🤪

Yeah, I think the odds of him just exercising the option are almost 0 as the QO (Which I'd be shocked if the Tigers don't extend) would be a couple million $ increase. If he wants to stay, I think he at least does that as then he could never have the QO extended again.

100%

For the reasons Chas said, I think trading Skubal when we are in the position we are in is malpractice.

You summarized my feelings completely. This isn't about trading hurting our future by raiding the top 3 farm system for 2026. This is about keeping the momentum going, knowing the future isn't lost if (more likely when) Skubal leaves for draft pick compensation as we have one of the top farm systems in the game. As you said, trading Skubal sends a message to the current guys and current and prospective FA's that when given a legitimate opportunity to compete for a championship, we are going to punt it for the future out of fear we will lose the best pitcher in the game the next season. It also shows them that we aren't even willing to try and keep him. I do think the Tigers will make Skubal a legitimate offer in FA. I think it is 99% likely another team makes an offer considerably higher that would make no sense to match. But if the Tigers make an offer that would make Skubal the highest paid pitcher both by AAV and total $, players will know they are willing to try. And players would understand IMO. Just like their pursuit of Bregman last year. Trading Skubal would all but guarantee the Tigers would be only getting FA's who need to rebuild their value, and that once homegrown players reach FA, if they are any good, they are likely gone. Like Jason_R said, this isn't a spreadsheet or a SIM league.

And yet top prospects still fail at very high levels due to a variety of reasons. Edited to add: And I still think you are greatly overestimating the return that will be out there for 1 year of Skubal.

Agree totally. If he was 22, then maybe, but they have 5 years before they need to worry about FA. By that time, who knows how the many catchers we have drafted (and Liranzo) will look like. No reason to lock in Dingler now. McGonigle or Clark on the other hand, I could see them trying to sign shortly after they’re up.

Yes, Day coaches completely different in the MI game than any other game.

I think Zeitler would be a great get with Mahogany down - only question is his comfort level on the right side when Mahogany played on the left.

Based on the article, it seems like it was their overall philosophy throughout the season. It's ironic that Barger did get picked off 2nd considering that.

From mlbtraderumors.com on top 40 trade candidates: I definitely agree with their analysis and the chances of him actually being traded. 40. Tarik Skubal, LHP, Tigers | projected $17.8MM salary; controlled via arbitration through 2026 Wishcasting on a trade of Skubal from other fan bases began before the Tigers were even eliminated from the postseason. Skubal is entering his final season of club control and is likely to be named American League Cy Young Award winner for the second consecutive season later this month. As a Boras-repped ace with a pair of Cy Youngs under his belt, the chances of him signing an extension range from minuscule to nonexistent. That’s led to plenty of calls — even some from Detroit fans — for the Tigers to cash in on a significant return. The chances of that actually happening only seem marginally higher than those microscopic chances of an extension, however. The Tigers are firmly in win-now mode. At his end-of-season press conference, president of baseball operations Scott Harris spoke of World Series aspirations and various avenues to improve his club for 2026. Significant as a return for Skubal might be, there’s basically no plausible scenario where the Tigers are better next year after trading their ace. That we’ve seen several teams move their top players in the final year of club control in recent seasons only fans the flames. The Astros (Kyle Tucker), Brewers (Corbin Burnes, Devin Williams) and Padres (Juan Soto) all come to mind as prominent examples. However, each of those teams was facing considerable financial pressure. Astros owner Jim Crane was seemingly adamant about remaining under the luxury tax in 2025 at the time of the Tucker trade. The Brewers (as previously noted with Peralta) always listen on their top players late in arbitration. The Padres payroll outlook had changed after the unfortunate passing of owner Peter Seidler. There’s no such pressure in Detroit. Quite the opposite, in fact. Javier Baez and Colt Keith are the only players signed to guaranteed deals beyond the 2026 season. Baez’s contract runs through 2027. Keith’s $4.775MM average annual value is a drop in the bucket. The Tigers may not be likely to extend Skubal before he gets to free agency, but they have the payroll space to sign him long-term even if (when) he reaches the market. Skubal is included on this list primarily because teams will try to pry him loose. Harris probably won’t expressly turn offers away and isn’t the type of executive who (to this point, anyway) makes definitive public declarations about his players. But the Tigers already have a deep farm — Kevin McGonigle and Max Clark are both top-10 prospects in the entire sport — along with a blank-slate payroll outlook and clear World Series aspirations in the short term. A Skubal trade would be genuinely stunning — the first time in nearly 20 years that the best pitcher in MLB was traded prior to free agency, harkening back to the Twins (another payroll-strapped club) and their 2007 trade of Johan Santana. Other teams can go ahead and try, but it’d be a pretty bold claim for Detroit’s front office to trade far and away their best player and still claim to be in win-now mode.

There was an article in the Athletic about how the Jay's conservatism on the base paths likely cost them that series. They told their guys to stay close to 3rd - IKF was only 7.8 ft off the base compared to Betts being 11.6 ft off in a comparable situation. That difference also would have made him safe. And it wasn't just IKF. Springer was only 8 ft off of 3rd when on. The Jays were so concerned about getting picked off or doubled up on a liner, they cost themselves the series. Give me the aggressiveness with some outs on the base paths over that any day.

100%

Correct from Detroit’s end, but for those on our side expecting a huge haul, those proposals line up more with what other top end players with 1 yr on their contract have gotten. Which is why in our position of contending, it doesn’t make sense to move him IMO.

The fact that there are no void years and no dead cap for 2030 is great and obviously leaves a lot of room for restructuring/extensions to help the 2027-30 cap #'s. A great job again by the front office.

Toronto. More anti-LA than pro Toronto though.

I'm not honestly sure about the minors anymore either as they are under the current cba now.

Everything I'm seeing (of course from writers) is still expecting him to get in the 10/$400 mil range. Prior to the collapse, they were up to $500 mil.

Exactly, all he made it known was that the offer prior to last season wasn’t close. From what I heard, it’s the writers that are saying the $400 mil (and thus $250 mil apart) number, even though that’s apples to oranges as his number may now be $400 mil, but it wasn’t likely last offseason with 2 arbitration years. (In which he will get paid a total of anr $30 mil). And a Tiger offer now would definitely be higher than last offseason.

It would be extremely hard to as the vast majority of players aren't good enough to make it even a couple seasons. You can't pay them a huge amount more without taking $ away from the ones who have proven themselves, so unless you were to pay players all a minimum salary, and then a check at the end of the season based on their performance, I don't know how you would do it. For some that check could be $40 mil. For some it could be nothing. The current CBA does have some of that built in for non arbitration eligible players, and I would expect the amount in that pool to increase.

Lions released Fuller from the practice squad per Pride of Detroit.

Tucker would be great, but I don't see it at all. Even with his down year, he's projected to get 10/$400 from most places and I don't see that fitting. I think at most they are in play for one of Bichette/Bregman and a starter like Cease or Ranger Suarez and then swing and miss for the pen.

My definition of not doing something stupid is if you trade him, you still need to compete in 2026 and it must be good enough of a return to also improve you for at least 3 years. I'm not all that concerned about losing him for just a comp pick, as again, I think they have many ways to improve by 2027 (assuming there is a season). McGonigle and Clark should be up with some time under their belt. Not to mention one or 2 of Lee/Alexander/Jung/Briceno being improvements over the current lot of Ibanez and Jones. I think Keith has a great chance to be a solid player by 2027 (I think we see a big jump in 2026 and he becomes our primary 3b barring a FA signing). Jobe should also be fully recovered and I'm assuming even with Skubal, (and Flaherty), they sign someone for a multiple years this offseason (like Cease). That gives time to evaluate/develop Olson/Melton/Mize (to see if extend)/SGL/Montero/rest of farm and have the $ to make another FA signing in 2027. IMO, they have time and a path to do that for 2027, but those pieces aren't all in place for 2026 which is why they need Skubal for a chance to really compete.

Not at all IMO as there are other ways to improve after 2026. Having a season in 2027 is no sure thing, let alone being in contention then. With Skubal, they are the favorites in the Central. They know they are set up for contention in 2026. By 2027, if there is a season, a number of these players won't be here. They for sure want to be given the best chance in the present, knowing if they are here, reinforcements are coming from a top 3 farm system in future years.