MLB insider issues verdict on rising Tarik Skubal trade smoke after major league exec’s bold statement

Detroit Tigers starting pitcher Tarik Skubal is one of the best pitchers in the MLB. In 2025, he earned his second straight AL Cy Young as he continues to dominate from the mound.

Skubal is grabbing a lot of attention this offseason and for all the right reasons. He is turning free agent after the 2026 season, and the Tigers may not have enough in their bag to offer him the best contract. As such, it will be in their best interest to trade Skubal before the MLB trade deadline.

The above possibility received a solid confirmation on Saturday as MLB insider Buster Olney relayed a message he got from an executive regarding what Detroit would do about Skubal.

“A highly ranked executive I talked to yesterday said ‘Yeah, I think they are gonna trade him,’” Olney said about Skubal's future on the Just Baseball Show.

MLB executives' poll reveals no Tarik Skubal-Tigers future beyond 2026

There's plenty of attention from the league on Tarik Skubal and what would Tigers would do about it. A poll was conducted among 16 MLB executives to predict what will happen.

As per the results of the poll, 10 of 13 responding executives chose "let it play out" when asked whether Detroit will trade, extend, or keep him. Meanwhile, only three picked "trade him," while none expected an extension right now.

Despite what appears to be inevitable, Tigers GM Jeff Greenberg has maintained that they are not entertaining any trade talks involving Skubal.

“We love Tarik, obviously," Greenberg said. "It’s pretty obvious what means to this organization. He’s a fantastic pitcher, he’s a Detroit Tiger. We’re never going to talk about our players in the context of trades, but we’re lucky to have him. He’s been a huge piece to what we’ve done.

“Again, it’s not something we’re going to discuss in this context, and I’d say that about any of our players. He’s got one year of control, that’s part of the process as it is for everybody in this system. He’s a Tiger. We’re fortunate to have him. That’s the reality right now.”

The only way Detroit will most likely be able to retain is if Skubal personally chooses to avoid a handsome contract to sign what the Tigers can offer them best.