Could Tarik Skubal return to the Tigers in free agency?
Skubal -- whom the Dodgers acquired at Monday’s Trade Deadline in a deal that sent prospects Zyhir Hope, River Ryan and Brady Smith to Detroit -- left the door to a return open on Friday. He is eligible to become a free agent at the end of the 2026 season.
“I would love to play my whole career in Detroit. I would love to,” Skubal said on Pardon My Take. “And hopefully those negotiations can pick back up in November once the playoffs are done. We’ll see where that goes. Hopefully they’re involved with everything. I would love to return."
The Tigers debated for months whether it made sense to trade the two-time reigning AL Cy Young Award winner, but with Skubal on an expiring contract and the team still looking upward in the playoff race, they made the move.
“This wasn’t the way the season was supposed to go. Going into the offseason, [with] the people that we acquired through free agency and who we signed, I’m like, ‘This is the World Series team,’” Skubal said. “This is the team that I’m gonna go and win a World Series and beat anybody. It doesn’t matter what’s going on.”
Skubal’s final start in a Detroit uniform was emotional, as he racked up his 1,000th career strikeout in the process. He was traded three days later.
“You start saying goodbye to teammates … a lot of those guys are my best friends,” Skubal said. “It’s a bunch of men, and I’m crying. I hate crying. I don’t cry a lot."
“It’s tough. It was a lot,” he added. “But I’m definitely excited to be here [Los Angeles].”