The Detroit Tigers’ 2026 season has fallen off the rails in the month of May, and it has completely coincided with the injury absence of their ace and MVP, Tarik Skubal.
Since Skubal landed on the IL on May 4 and underwent subsequent elbow surgery, the Tigers have spiraled, to say the least, going 3-16 and plummeting to the bottom of the American League standings.
That has, of course, raised questions about the future of the two-time Cy Young winner, and a recent report from insider Bob Nightengale suggests that a trade is becoming far more likely. If that happens, he says to watch for the Los Angeles Dodgers, New York Yankees, Toronto Blue Jays, and San Diego Padres in any bidding war.
“Now that it’s becoming inevitable that the free-falling Detroit Tigers may have no choice but to trade two-time Cy Young winner Tarik Skubal at the deadline, rival executives believe the bidding will come down to four finalists that not only can afford the remainder of his $32 million contract, but will also be willing to give up prized prospects:
The Los Angeles Dodgers, New York Yankees, Toronto Blue Jays and San Diego Padres,”
The 29-year-old Skubal is a pending UFA playing on the one-year, $32 million contract he inked after winning his arbitration case back in February.
Los Angeles, New York, Toronto, and San Diego all make plenty of sense for Skubal as big-market contenders with the ability not only to acquire him, but also to sign him to a lucrative new extension.
Other teams will certainly put themselves in the mix, but we know how difficult it is to beat out those big-market teams—especially the Dodgers, who many believe will ultimately be the one to land the superstar pitcher.
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