Tarik Skubal Makes Cryptic Post Amid Trade Rumors Regarding Future With Tigers

Tarik Skubal has remained in trade speculations this season as he is in the final year of his contract with the Detroit Tigers.

Tarik Skubal Makes Cryptic Post Amid Trade Rumors Regarding Future With Tigers

Tarik Skubal (Image via X/@UnderdogMLB)

Tarik Skubal‘s future with the Detroit Tigers remains uncertain at the moment. Amid reports of trade rumors, the 2-time Cy Young Award winner made a cryptic post on social media.

The southpaw is in the final year of his contract. If he does not sign an extension in the upcoming months, he will become a free agent. In free agency, he is expected to land a contract above $400 million, potentially making his deal the largest offered to any pitcher.

In May, Skubal suffered an elbow injury and underwent surgery to remove loose bodies. With the Tigers struggling at the start of the season, there were rumors that the team could trade him in exchange for players instead of losing him for free.

Skubal, however, made a fast recovery and was back on the mound in June. The Tigers, who were 22-38 on June 1, finished the first half of the season with a 44-52 record, going 22-14 in 36 games.

Though the team is still 8 games behind .500, they are confident about turning things around. As per reports from Ken Rosenthal, the AL Central side is not expected to trade their ace pitcher.

Hours after this report came out, Skubal made a cryptic post. In a post on Instagram, he shared several photos of himself. He did not write anything in his caption and simply used two sandglass emojis.

As per Rosenthal, the Tigers are currently “inclined” to keep Skubal, as there is a chance of the team pushing for the playoffs.

They’re in a weak division, in a weak league. A lot depends, not just for the Tigers but for a lot of teams, what happens in the next two and a half weeks. … Unless the Tigers outright collapse, they’ll be inclined to keep Skubal and go for it.

Ken Rosenthal said regarding Tarik Skubal on Fair Territory

At the moment, the Tigers are 6.5 games behind the Chicago White Sox and the Cleveland Guardians, who are both at the top of the AL Central standings. As for the Wild Card, the team is 3.5 games back of the final spot.

With the Guardians coming back from a 15.5-game deficit last year against the Tigers, the Detroit-based side knows that there is always a chance to make a comeback. They will start the second half with a 3-game series against the Los Angeles Angels at Angels Stadium.

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Red Sox podcaster warns Tigers regarding their stance with Tarik Skubal

The Detroit Tigers do not want to trade their ace pitcher Tarik Skubal this year. While there has been no longer-term deal offered by the team to him, they want to hold on to him until the team of the season. A Boston Red Sox podcaster later warned them about this stance.

Tarik Skubal
Tarik Skubal (Image via X/@TalkinBaseball_)

If the Tigers trade him, they could bring in some players who could help them. If they do not trade him and he does not get any contract extension or declines to re-sign with them in the offseason, they could lose him for free.

However, there are chances that the team could give him a long-term extension. Skubal has expressed his desire to stay with the Tigers for a long time. Recent reports claimed that the 29-year-old pitcher had told his close friends that he “badly” wants to remain in Detroit for the rest of the season.

If the Tigers do not trade him before the deadline, he will remain with the team until the end of this year. A Red Sox podcaster, Jared Carribis, has warned the team about this. In a tweet, he claimed that the team could regret like the Los Angeles Angels did with Shohei Ohtani.

If they don’t extend him or re-sign him in free agency, then this is the kind of mistake that sets your organization back for a very long time. Call the Angels and ask them how much they regret not trading Shohei Ohtani when they had the chance.

Jareb Carribis on X

The Angels found themselves in a similar situation in 2023. With Ohtani in the final year of his deal, the AL West side did not trade him at the deadline.

They were unable to get him to sign a contract extension or re-sign with them in the offseason. In the end, the Japanese international signed a 10-year, $700 million deal with the Los Angeles Dodgers, where he has continued to shine.

Speaking of Skubal, he has a 5-5 record, 89 strikeouts, and a 3.09 ERA in 13 starts. While his numbers are not on the same level as the previous two years, he is still one of the best pitchers in the league.

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