No 'untouchables' on roster, says Tigers president of baseball ops: 'Can't do my job without listening'

ORLANDO, Fla. -- Former Tigers president Dave Dombrowski used to rarely label players as untouchable in trades, even as he built a perennial contender. Even if he had a superstar player, another team might offer him two potential superstar players, essentially making him an offer he couldn’t refuse.

As Scott Harris works into his fourth offseason as Tigers president of baseball operations, one that could be littered with Tarik Skubal trade rumors, it’s becoming apparent that he shares that philosophy.

It doesn’t mean that Skubal’s Tiger tenure is a goner heading into his contract year just because Harris will not say that Skubal is staying. But it also doesn’t mean that they won’t entertain the idea of Skubal pitching elsewhere in 2026.

Which made for a tricky, nuanced answer when Harris was asked about the Skubal speculation that surround this week’s Winter Meetings.

“It’s just really hard to answer the question,” Harris said Monday, “and I’ll tell you why: One, we don’t speculate on any players on our roster in trade talks. It’s just not productive, and it’s unfair to players on other teams.

“Two, I’ve been pretty clear since I’ve been here: I don’t believe in untouchables at any level, anyone in our organization. It’s not a commentary on Tarik specifically, [but] sort of a blanket team-building approach. I can't do my job without listening. I can't do my job without exploring anything that may or may not have legs. Some are going to be very likely moves and some are going to be extremely unlikely, but you can't actually fully vet those opportunities unless you are willing to listen. …

“I don’t know if that’s helpful for you guys, but I figured I’d give you at least some logic behind why we’re taking this approach.”

As of Monday evening, there were no indications that any talks were gaining momentum. The Tigers continue to talk about Skubal as part of their 2026 rotation plans. When asked if the Tigers, in their pitching talks, are looking at what their rotation could look like beyond next season – when Skubal and Casey Mize are on track to become free agents – Harris suggested they’re not looking that far ahead quite yet.

“For a variety of reasons, we’re pretty focused on ‘26 right now,” Harris said. “There’s a ton of uncertainty coming after the season, in a variety of ways, so we’re pretty focused on ‘26 right now. If there’s an opportunity for us to get better in ‘26, we’re going to take it. If, in addition to the opportunity to get better in ‘26 we’re going to get better in ‘27, ‘28 and ‘29, obviously we’re going to look at that view.

“But we have a good team right now and we have a great opportunity to take another step forward as a young group, and we’re trying to find ways to add to that.”

Jobe expected to return next year

One pitching addition who could help the Tigers next season and beyond is Jackson Jobe, already a Tiger but currently rehabbing from Tommy John surgery. When Jobe underwent the procedure this past summer, he seemed like a longshot to return before 2027. But his progression in the months since has raised hope he could pitch late next season.

“We expect him to be back in ‘26,” Harris said. “It’s hard to forecast the actual date, but we expect him to be a boost to our roster in the second half.”

Bullpen creativity

The Tigers continue to scour the market for relief pitching to help bolster a bullpen that showed the strains of a heavy workload over the past two seasons. Given the way the Tigers built their current bullpen to begin with, that might not include the type of big-name signing that teams building traditional bullpens might do.

“There are a lot of conversations happening with free-agent relievers and trade targets,” Harris said. “We want to add to our pen. We think we have some pretty strong anchors in our pen right now. … I also will remind everyone that Major League bullpens are built in a variety of ways. Sometimes it’s free-agent signings. Sometimes it’s trades. Sometimes it’s development. Sometimes it’s Minor League signings or waiver claims. We’ve done, I think, a pretty good job here of finding that performance from those other channels.”