Detroit Tigers pitcher Tarik Skubal (29) walks off the field after throwing the first inning against Oakland Athletics of the home opening day at Comerica Park in Detroit on Friday, April 5, 2024. Junfu Han / USA TODAY NETWORK

One of the best pitchers in baseball could be on the trade market this offseason.

ESPN’s Buster Olney reported that rival teams believe the Detroit Tigers would be open to trading Tarik Skubal for a big enough return. The Seattle Mariners, New York Mets, and Boston Red Sox could be potential fits.

Teams believe the Tigers will “seriously consider” trading Tarik Skubal if they can get what they want in a trade, per @Buster_ESPN

Olney lists the Mariners, Mets and Red Sox as potential fits pic.twitter.com/LnlZXs8mdv

— Talkin’ Baseball (@TalkinBaseball_) November 5, 2025

Skubal is entering the final season of team control with the Tigers and will be a free agent after the 2026 season. A contract extension would be an expensive proposition, and previous reports indicated that the two sides are far apart in preliminary talks. That may motivate the team to trade him now and get something for him rather than risk him leaving in free agency for nothing.

Skubal ticks pretty much every box for what teams are looking for in an ace. Over the past two seasons, he has a 2.30 ERA with 469 strikeouts in 387.1 innings. He has also proven himself capable of performing in big moments with a 2.04 ERA over six postseason starts in his career.

Any team acquiring Skubal would be taking a risk, as he would not be guaranteed to sign a contract extension with them, either. Pretty much all the major market teams would presumably be involved if he were available.

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