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Tarik Skubal is now a member of the Los Angeles Dodgers, but his story with the Detroit Tigers may not be finished.
Detroit traded the two-time defending American League Cy Young Award winner to Los Angeles for outfielder Zyhir Hope and right-handed pitchers River Ryan and Brady Smith. Skubal is scheduled to become a free agent after the 2026 season, which leaves the door open for a reunion only a few months after the blockbuster deal.
Would the Tigers actually trade their ace, collect three Dodgers prospects and then bring Skubal back during the winter?
It sounds almost too perfect. Detroit has already pulled off a similar move.
The Tigers traded Jack Flaherty to the Dodgers on July 30, 2024, receiving catcher Thayron Liranzo and shortstop Trey Sweeney in return. Flaherty helped Los Angeles win the World Series, entered free agency and then signed back with Detroit on February 7, 2025.
His contract was worth two years and $35 million, giving Detroit the pitcher back while allowing the organization to keep both prospects acquired in the original trade.
That sequence became one of Scott Harris’ sharpest moves.
Detroit received meaningful prospect value for a rental, watched Flaherty chase a championship in Los Angeles and then brought him back without returning either Liranzo or Sweeney.
The Skubal situation would be far more expensive, but the basic idea is the same.
The Tigers have already turned a Dodgers deadline trade into a temporary goodbye rather than a permanent one.
Nothing prevents Skubal from signing with Detroit once he reaches the open market.
The Tigers know him better than any organization. They drafted him in the ninth round in 2018, guided him through his early struggles, supported him through elbow issues and watched him develop into one of the best pitchers in baseball.
Skubal also made it clear during his emotional farewell that Detroit meant more to him than simply being the team that employed him.
A return would allow the Tigers to keep Hope, Ryan and Smith while restoring Skubal to the front of their rotation.
That would be the dream scenario.
Detroit would have turned several months of Skubal’s services into three prospects, then reacquired him by doing what it could have done without trading him: offer the strongest contract.
There is one enormous difference between the Flaherty situation and this one.
Skubal is about to become one of the most coveted free agents in baseball.
Skubal is represented by the Boras Corporation, led by Scott Boras.
Boras has built his reputation by taking elite clients into free agency and creating competition among interested teams. That process gives players the opportunity to hear every offer instead of limiting negotiations to their current organization.
Even if the Tigers made Skubal a solid extension offer before trading him, it was always unlikely that Boras would accept a deal before free agency.
Why would he?
Skubal has the résumé, age and performance level to become the top pitcher available. Boras will want the largest possible market to form around his client, with the Dodgers, Mets, Yankees, Red Sox, Cubs and other aggressive teams potentially involved.
Detroit may never have had a realistic chance to extend Skubal before he tested free agency.
That does not mean the Tigers cannot sign him afterward.
It means they will have to beat the market.
My prediction is that the Tigers would need to offer Skubal approximately:
That contract would carry a $45 million average annual value, placing Skubal among the highest-paid pitchers in baseball history.
It would also represent the kind of financial commitment Detroit has rarely been willing to make.
A competitive offer would likely need to include several player-friendly features:
The opt-out could be especially important.
Skubal would be entering his age-30 season in 2027. An opt-out after three or four years would allow him to return to the market while still young enough to secure another major contract if he remains dominant.
Deferred money could help Detroit manage the annual payroll impact, while a signing bonus would give Skubal a significant amount of guaranteed money immediately.
A full no-trade clause would also carry extra meaning after Detroit just traded him during a season in which he hoped to compete for a championship with the Tigers.
The organization would need to prove that the next contract would represent a true long-term commitment.
Skubal earned $32 million in his final arbitration season, already placing him among baseball’s most highly compensated pitchers before reaching free agency. He is set to become an unrestricted free agent for the 2027 season.
An eight-year, $360 million offer would not be based only on past accomplishments.
The Tigers would be paying for several more seasons of ace-level production, postseason credibility and the chance to place one of baseball’s premier pitchers in front of a young roster built around players such as Riley Greene, Max Clark and Kevin McGonigle.
Detroit would also need to account for the Boras factor.
A respectable offer will not be enough. A hometown connection will not be enough. Emotional ties and familiar coaches may help, but they will not close a financial gap of $40 million or $50 million.
The Tigers must approach Skubal like the best free agent on the market, not like a former player who owes them a discount.
That is the great unknown.
Skubal expressed appreciation for the organization that drafted and developed him. He also admitted how difficult it was to leave teammates who had become some of his closest friends.
Detroit offers familiarity, relationships and the chance to complete the mission he could not finish before the trade.
Los Angeles offers something different.
The Dodgers can give Skubal an immediate opportunity to pitch deep into October, compete for championships and experience life inside one of baseball’s most aggressive organizations.
If Skubal enjoys his time in Los Angeles and helps the Dodgers win another World Series, they could become the favorite to retain him.
Detroit’s advantage would be history.
The Tigers cannot match the Dodgers’ recent championship résumé, but they can offer Skubal the opportunity to return as the face of the franchise and finish what he started.
Trading Skubal did not necessarily mean Detroit decided it never wanted him back.
It may have meant the Tigers realized they could not stop him from reaching free agency and chose to collect the best possible return before he left.
That distinction matters.
Scott Harris now has Hope, Ryan and Smith in the organization. When free agency opens, he should still contact Boras and make an aggressive offer.
There is no downside to trying.
The worst outcome is that Skubal signs elsewhere, which was already a real possibility before the trade.
The best outcome would be historic.
Detroit could retain all three prospects, bring its ace home and enter 2027 with a dramatically stronger organization than the one that traded him.
Tarik Skubal could return to the Detroit Tigers after the 2026 season.
The Flaherty trade showed that a deadline deal with the Dodgers does not always have to become a permanent separation. Detroit traded Flaherty, watched him win a World Series and then signed him back while keeping Liranzo and Sweeney.
Repeating that strategy with Skubal would require a contract on an entirely different level.
My prediction is eight years and $360 million, including a $45 million average annual salary, an early opt-out, a large signing bonus, deferred money, a full no-trade clause and award incentives.
Skubal will have plenty of options.
The Tigers should make sure Detroit is one of them.
Continue reading...
Detroit traded the two-time defending American League Cy Young Award winner to Los Angeles for outfielder Zyhir Hope and right-handed pitchers River Ryan and Brady Smith. Skubal is scheduled to become a free agent after the 2026 season, which leaves the door open for a reunion only a few months after the blockbuster deal.
Would the Tigers actually trade their ace, collect three Dodgers prospects and then bring Skubal back during the winter?
It sounds almost too perfect. Detroit has already pulled off a similar move.
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The Jack Flaherty Blueprint
The Tigers traded Jack Flaherty to the Dodgers on July 30, 2024, receiving catcher Thayron Liranzo and shortstop Trey Sweeney in return. Flaherty helped Los Angeles win the World Series, entered free agency and then signed back with Detroit on February 7, 2025.
His contract was worth two years and $35 million, giving Detroit the pitcher back while allowing the organization to keep both prospects acquired in the original trade.
That sequence became one of Scott Harris’ sharpest moves.
Detroit received meaningful prospect value for a rental, watched Flaherty chase a championship in Los Angeles and then brought him back without returning either Liranzo or Sweeney.
The Skubal situation would be far more expensive, but the basic idea is the same.
The Tigers have already turned a Dodgers deadline trade into a temporary goodbye rather than a permanent one.
Tarik Skubal Could Return to Detroit Tigers in Free Agency
Nothing prevents Skubal from signing with Detroit once he reaches the open market.
The Tigers know him better than any organization. They drafted him in the ninth round in 2018, guided him through his early struggles, supported him through elbow issues and watched him develop into one of the best pitchers in baseball.
Skubal also made it clear during his emotional farewell that Detroit meant more to him than simply being the team that employed him.
A return would allow the Tigers to keep Hope, Ryan and Smith while restoring Skubal to the front of their rotation.
That would be the dream scenario.
Detroit would have turned several months of Skubal’s services into three prospects, then reacquired him by doing what it could have done without trading him: offer the strongest contract.
There is one enormous difference between the Flaherty situation and this one.
Skubal is about to become one of the most coveted free agents in baseball.
Scott Boras Will Push Skubal Toward the Open Market
Skubal is represented by the Boras Corporation, led by Scott Boras.
Boras has built his reputation by taking elite clients into free agency and creating competition among interested teams. That process gives players the opportunity to hear every offer instead of limiting negotiations to their current organization.
Even if the Tigers made Skubal a solid extension offer before trading him, it was always unlikely that Boras would accept a deal before free agency.
Why would he?
Skubal has the résumé, age and performance level to become the top pitcher available. Boras will want the largest possible market to form around his client, with the Dodgers, Mets, Yankees, Red Sox, Cubs and other aggressive teams potentially involved.
Detroit may never have had a realistic chance to extend Skubal before he tested free agency.
That does not mean the Tigers cannot sign him afterward.
It means they will have to beat the market.
What the Tigers Must Offer Tarik Skubal
My prediction is that the Tigers would need to offer Skubal approximately:
Eight years, $360 million
That contract would carry a $45 million average annual value, placing Skubal among the highest-paid pitchers in baseball history.
It would also represent the kind of financial commitment Detroit has rarely been willing to make.
A competitive offer would likely need to include several player-friendly features:
- An opt-out after Year 3 or Year 4
- A sizeable signing bonus
- Some deferred money
- A full no-trade clause
- Potential award bonuses
The opt-out could be especially important.
Skubal would be entering his age-30 season in 2027. An opt-out after three or four years would allow him to return to the market while still young enough to secure another major contract if he remains dominant.
Deferred money could help Detroit manage the annual payroll impact, while a signing bonus would give Skubal a significant amount of guaranteed money immediately.
A full no-trade clause would also carry extra meaning after Detroit just traded him during a season in which he hoped to compete for a championship with the Tigers.
The organization would need to prove that the next contract would represent a true long-term commitment.
You must be registered for see images attach
Why $360 Million Could Be Necessary
Skubal earned $32 million in his final arbitration season, already placing him among baseball’s most highly compensated pitchers before reaching free agency. He is set to become an unrestricted free agent for the 2027 season.
An eight-year, $360 million offer would not be based only on past accomplishments.
The Tigers would be paying for several more seasons of ace-level production, postseason credibility and the chance to place one of baseball’s premier pitchers in front of a young roster built around players such as Riley Greene, Max Clark and Kevin McGonigle.
Detroit would also need to account for the Boras factor.
A respectable offer will not be enough. A hometown connection will not be enough. Emotional ties and familiar coaches may help, but they will not close a financial gap of $40 million or $50 million.
The Tigers must approach Skubal like the best free agent on the market, not like a former player who owes them a discount.
Would Skubal Want to Come Back?
That is the great unknown.
Skubal expressed appreciation for the organization that drafted and developed him. He also admitted how difficult it was to leave teammates who had become some of his closest friends.
Detroit offers familiarity, relationships and the chance to complete the mission he could not finish before the trade.
Los Angeles offers something different.
The Dodgers can give Skubal an immediate opportunity to pitch deep into October, compete for championships and experience life inside one of baseball’s most aggressive organizations.
If Skubal enjoys his time in Los Angeles and helps the Dodgers win another World Series, they could become the favorite to retain him.
Detroit’s advantage would be history.
The Tigers cannot match the Dodgers’ recent championship résumé, but they can offer Skubal the opportunity to return as the face of the franchise and finish what he started.
The Tigers Have to Make the Call
Trading Skubal did not necessarily mean Detroit decided it never wanted him back.
It may have meant the Tigers realized they could not stop him from reaching free agency and chose to collect the best possible return before he left.
That distinction matters.
Scott Harris now has Hope, Ryan and Smith in the organization. When free agency opens, he should still contact Boras and make an aggressive offer.
There is no downside to trying.
The worst outcome is that Skubal signs elsewhere, which was already a real possibility before the trade.
The best outcome would be historic.
Detroit could retain all three prospects, bring its ace home and enter 2027 with a dramatically stronger organization than the one that traded him.
You must be registered for see images attach
Bottom Line
Tarik Skubal could return to the Detroit Tigers after the 2026 season.
The Flaherty trade showed that a deadline deal with the Dodgers does not always have to become a permanent separation. Detroit traded Flaherty, watched him win a World Series and then signed him back while keeping Liranzo and Sweeney.
Repeating that strategy with Skubal would require a contract on an entirely different level.
My prediction is eight years and $360 million, including a $45 million average annual salary, an early opt-out, a large signing bonus, deferred money, a full no-trade clause and award incentives.
Skubal will have plenty of options.
The Tigers should make sure Detroit is one of them.
Continue reading...
