How Tigers' Tarik Skubal can prove he's healthy to MLB execs interested in a trade

Detroit Tigers ace Tarik Skubal is the highlight of the 2026 MLB trade deadline. While the Tigers haven't actually decided to trade him yet, and have shut down rumors suggesting as such, he's still someone worth keeping an eye on.

But, for MLB executives around baseball, there's one clear issue: Skubal's health. He had surgery to remove loose bodies from his elbow recently and is steadily working his way back.

As Skubal returns to MLB action, USA Today's Bob Nightengale shared an interesting report about what rival executives believe Skubal needs to do to prove he's healthy enough for these clubs to spend a fortune on acquiring him.

Tarik Skubal needs to make three starts to prove he's healthy

"Rival executives believe that Skubal will need to make at least three starts to convince teams he's healthy," Nightengale writes.

This is not that big of an ask for Skubal at all. When he returns, which could be very soon, his task is simple: to stay healthy and pitch well.

But, for teams interested in Skubal, they don't simply want to see him pitch well; they, according to this report from Nightengale, want to see him make three more starts.

It's a straightforward requirement, but it's a sensible one. Skubal making three starts is a reasonable ask for teams to see before investing the massive amount of resources it would take to acquire him.

MORE: Tarik Skubal being traded by Tigers would help him in free agency

This three-start requirement will also help the Tigers determine if they're going to be sellers or not. If the Tigers struggle in the weeks from now until Skubal makes three starts in the Majors, then a trade is a lot more reasonable.

If the Tigers start bouncing back, then a Skubal trade would naturally come off the table. This three-start window will give the Tigers, Skubal, and teams around baseball time to fully determine how to go about this potential massive trade deadline saga.

Whether the Tigers sell Skubal or not, seeing how these first three starts back from the injured list go will be imperative to determining the future of the Tigers, Skubal, and interested teams in the back-to-back Cy Young winner.

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