Of all the potential sellers in Major League Baseball, none would have the type of impact that the Tigers would have if they decide to unload talent to contenders around the league.
The question, of course, is whether Detroit will ultimately be a seller.
The Tigers’ potential sale begins with Tarik Skubal, but it doesn’t end there. Not by a long shot.
The two-time reigning American League Cy Young Award winner will be one of the most sought-after trade chips that we’ve seen in years, but Detroit’s roster is littered with players that would make sensible trade candidates, especially the pitching staff.
“If it was me, I would sell,” said a National League executive. “Given that so many other teams are all in the hunt, I would guess the premium for buying will be high and sellers will get more than expected for quality talent.”
That certainly goes for Skubal, who would instantly make any contender one of the favorites to advance deep into the postseason, especially as he continues to show he’s healthy after minor elbow surgery caused him to miss six weeks earlier this season.
“They have to move Skubal; there’s no way around it,” an AL executive said. “They will set that franchise back 10 years if they don’t. He’s gone at the end of the year regardless, and they can pull Major League assets back.”
The Tigers stood at 35-48 following Saturday’s loss to the Astros, leaving them nine games behind the first place White Sox in the AL Central and six games out of the third and final AL Wild Card spot despite their sub-.500 record. With roughly half a season still to play, Detroit has plenty of time to cut into those deficits before the Aug. 3 Trade Deadline, and most rival executives believe president of baseball operations Scott Harris will give his club ample time to prove that a fire sale isn’t the answer.
“There’s so much baseball yet to play,” an AL executive said. “They are not dead. They have one of the better teams in the AL and definitely the most talented team in the AL Central. My guess is that if they have a greater than 25% chance of making the playoffs, they will hold.”
“We’re not even a month out from the Deadline; the world can look a lot different by then,” another AL exec said. “They already carry 25% odds of making the playoffs, so I can see a world where they hold or buy some.”
If the Tigers do opt to become sellers, Skubal will dominate the headlines even more than he is already. But the Tigers have other potential trade chips that will garner significant interest:
- RHP Casey Mize (free agent after 2026) has a 2.95 ERA in 11 starts (58 innings) this season.
- RHP Kyle Finnegan (owed $8 million in 2027 with a $10 million mutual option and $2.25 million buyout in 2028) is having a stellar season, posting a 1.89 ERA in 36 appearances, pitching in a variety of roles for Detroit’s bullpen.
- RHP Kenley Jansen ($12 million club option with a $2 million buyout in 2027) has held opponents scoreless in 10 of 12 appearances since the beginning of May.
- 2B Gleyber Torres (free agent after 2026; ineligible for a qualifying offer) is on the injured list with an oblique injury, but he has a .790 OPS with four homers and 18 RBIs in 43 games while showing elite plate discipline (96th percentile in walk percentage, 99th in chase percentage, 72nd in strikeout percentage).
- RHP Drew Anderson ($10 million club option in 2027; no buyout) has pitched well in his return following four years in Asia, posting a 4.04 ERA in 28 appearances. Anderson has made two starts, earned two saves and been a versatile weapon for Detroit. He ranks in the top 20 percent of MLB in strikeout percentage, chase percentage, whiff percentage and has a 47.2% ground-ball rate.
- RHP Jack Flaherty (free agent after 2026; ineligible for a qualifying offer) is on the IL with a left peroneal strain, but the veteran was solid in his last rehab start and he is on track to return to the Tigers’ rotation on Sunday. The 30-year-old hasn’t pitched well this season (5.35 ERA), but his track record and postseason experience would likely be enough for a team to take a chance with him.
“I think their playoff odds are probably around 20-25% depending on where you look, but ultimately some of their chips -- Skubal in particular -- have too much expiring value to hold, in my opinion,” an NL executive said. “They’ll certainly be able to do way better for him at the Deadline than the Comp pick they would get for extending him a qualifying offer. I would be shocked if they didn’t move the rest of their rentals, as well.”
If there’s a compelling reason for Harris to wait it out with the hope that the Tigers’ talent takes over, it’s recent history. In 2024, Detroit was 55-63 on Aug. 10, sitting 10 games out of the Wild Card race. The Tigers went on a 31-13 run to end the season, edging the Mariners for the final postseason spot with an 86-76 record.
“They were dead and buried,” an AL executive said.
That same AL executive sees some parallels between the Tigers’ situation with Skubal and the Milwaukee Bucks, who finally traded Giannis Antetokounmpo to the Miami Heat this week after a year or two of constant trade speculation surrounding the former NBA MVP.
“I’ve heard arguments that they should have traded Giannis a while ago, but when you have one of the best players in the sport, there’s a good argument to just get into the playoffs, because your World Series odds might be as good as anyone’s,” the executive said. “Obviously, Skubal and Giannis are different, as are basketball and baseball. And you may be stuck in a longer rebuild if you go for it, but aren’t we here to try to win?”
If the Tigers can make a second-half run to October, would they have enough to advance deep into the postseason? Throwing a 1-2-3 of Skubal, Framber Valdez and Mize would seemingly give them a chance, but would it be enough to win it all?
Another rival AL executive doesn’t believe so, making the case that the haul the Tigers can receive for Skubal (and some of their other trade chips) is simply too valuable to pass up unless Harris thinks his team can win a championship.
“I’m not sure how they can keep [Skubal] and not realize for the long-term health of the organization that they need to trade him,” an AL executive said. “It’s not a World Series team, and that should be what they measure that trade by.”