Tigers' Tarik Skubal trade cost summed up with one word by NL exec: 'Outrageous'

Jul 16, 2026 - 15:05

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Detroit Tigers starting pitcher Tarik Skubal

Tigers' Tarik Skubal trade cost summed up with one word by NL exec: 'Outrageous' originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

The Detroit Tigers are heading towards the 2026 MLB trade deadline as the most interesting team in baseball. Not because they could be major buyers, but because they have the best trade assets of any team at the deadline, all because of Tarik Skubal.

After winning back-to-back Cy Youngs, Skubal has a legitimate chance to be traded this summer, as it would make more sense for Detroit to swing a trade than lose him in free agency for very little if they aren't making the playoffs this season.

But, as Ken Rosnethal, Patrick Mooney, Katie Woo, and Will Sammon of The Athletic shared, one NL executive had one word for the trade cost of Skubal that sums up how this trade deadline will play out: "Outrageous."

Tarik Skubal has 'outrageous' trade cost from Tigers per NL exec

"He might get traded, but the early asks are going to be outrageous," an NL executive said. "And no one's going to pay that. What the Cubs did to get Chapman, they were trying to break a 108-year curse. They were definitely overly aggressive. That kind of deal is not really happening anymore, especially going into a new CBA."

It should come as little surprise that the Tigers are going to be asking for a king's ransom for Skubal, one of the best pitchers in baseball, at this year's trade deadline.

He's hitting free agency after the 2026 season comes to a close, and would be just a rental for an acquiring team. But the Tigers aren't going to part with their left-handed ace for nothing.

MORE: Why Astros are trading Lance McCullers to the Brewers

Detroit's president of baseball operations, Scott Harris, will only trade Skubal if a team offers a massive package that would be hard to decline.

With this NL executive also noted how such a lofty offer isn't likely to be made, it might be a long next few weeks regarding a potential deadline deal involving Skubal.

But, with where things stand now as the deadline gets closer and the Tigers emerge as more likely sellers (barring a resurgence), a Skubal deal is clearly going to be an expensive one.

The current projected cost, while not specific, has a clear label that should make any potential deal unlikely to happen. A Skubal trade will cost an "outrageous" amount of capital, though that asking price might go down as the deadline nears.