"I see why he was fired!"; "Tigers would laugh" - Fans react to Ex-Mets GM's bold Tarik Skubal to Queens trade idea

Despite enjoying a superb 2025 season, Detroit Tigers starting pitcher Tarik Skubal may still be on the way out of the Motor City this offseason.

Set to enter free agency after the 2026 season comes to an end, Skubal and the Tigers are reportedly at loggerheads when it comes to a potential extension, and several sources have claimed Detroit may be looking to get something in return for him while they still can.

Assessing the situation, former New York Mets GM, Steve Phillips, hypothesized the possibility of the Mets attempting to trade the southpaw, sending youngsters Brandon Sproat, Jonah Tong, Luisangel Acuna and Brett Baty the other way.

"Tarik Skubal, he's going to get dealt from the Detroit Tigers. I have him going to the New York Mets. They (Tigers) can bring back two power arms in Brandon Sproat and Jonah Tong. They need to repleace Gleyber Torres and second, Luisangel Acuna [can do that], and then Brett Baty can slot into third base. I think they can answer a lot of questions trading Tarik Skubal to the Mets." Phillips said

Reacting to Phillips' take, several of fans did not agree, feeling the executive's suggestion involved giving up serious future prospects in exchange for essentially a single year of Tarik Skubal's services. As a result, many left comments calling out the 62-year-old.

"I see why he was fired!" a fan wrote "Tigers would laugh and hang up" another fan commented "This is borderline insanity." another fan replied

Screenshots of fans' comments on Instagram (Images from - Instagram.com/@mlbnetwork)

"Hell no not for a rental" another fan responded "OMG are you kidding me" another fan shared "Ridiculous" another fan posted

Screenshots of fans' comments on Instagram (Images from - Instagram.com/@mlbnetwork)

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Tarik Skubal announced as one of the finalists for AL Cy Young award

Having won the AL Cy Young award for the first time in his career in 2024, Tarik Skubal continued to dominate in 2025, ending the regular season with a 13-6 record, along with a 2.21 ERA and 241 strikeouts.

As a result, the Tigers ace was named as one of the finalists for 2025's edition of the award on Monday, alongside Boston Red Sox southpaw Garrett Crochet and Houston Astros starter Hunter Brown.

Division Series - Detroit Tigers v Seattle Mariners - Game Five - Source: Getty

According to the sportsbooks, Skubal is the overwhelming favorite to take home the prestigious prize come November. Per FOX, the Tigers star is currently priced at -20,000, while his closest contender, Garrett Crochet, is priced at +1200.

Edited by Raghav Mehta