According to a new report from Bob Nightengale of USA Today on Sunday, the Toronto Blue Jays are seen as one of the most likely teams to acquire two-time Cy Young winner Tarik Skubal if the Detroit Tigers trade him.

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.

Let's examine the situation a little further:

Sunday Notebook: Grades for all 30 MLB teams at Memorial Day: So many Fs to hand out https://t.co/u7TqZAcOdh— Bob Nightengale (@BNightengale) May 24, 2026

About Skubal 

Now 29 years old, Skubal is the most dominant pitcher in the game. Winner of consecutive Cy Young's, he's 57-39 in his career with a 3.06 ERA. He led the American League (2.39) in ERA in 2024 and repeated the feat in 2025 (2.21). 

He's made 31 starts or more in each of the last two seasons, but he's currently on the injured list with "loose bodies" in his elbow. However, he's undergone a new kind of treatment and is much closer to returning than initially anticipated.

He's 3-2 with a 2.70 ERA this season.

Do the Tigers have to trade Skubal?

That's a precarious question.

On the surface, they do not. Though they are 20-32 and in last place in the American League Central, they are just five games back of the final wild card spot in the mediocre American League. All it takes is one good run and a healthy Skubal to get back into the mix and it would be understandable if that's the position that the Tigers want to take.

However, the Cleveland Guardians are already 10 games up on them in the division, meaning that the wild card is probably Detroit's only shot. Skubal is a free agent at the end of this season and seems unlikely to re-sign. Given the limited perceived paths to the playoffs, can they afford to hold onto Skubal for an ill-fated run?

We saw what happened when the Los Angeles Angels held onto Shohei Ohtani in 2023...

Could the Blue Jays really acquire him? 

Absolutely they could, but that's another precarious question.

Toronto has the money and the room in the rotation because of injuries, but they are already 10.5 games back of the Tampa Bay Rays in the American League East. Those same limited pathways to the playoffs that exist for Detroit exist for the Jays.

It's not about money. Do they want to mortgage prospect capital for a run at a second or third wild card spot in October? This is what the front office will have to wrestle with.

Toronto is 25-27 entering play on Sunday.

JOIN THE CONVERSATION

Remember to join our BLUE JAYS on ROUNDTABLE community, which is FREE! You can post your own thoughts, in text or video form, and you can engage with our Roundtable staff, as well as other Blue Jays fans. If prompted to download the Roundtable APP, that's free too!