“It's not like I want to be traded” - Tarik Skubal makes his stance crystal clear on “out of my control” trade rumors

Tarik Skubal can't help but be affected by the ongoing trade rumors surrounding him as he enters the final year of his team control with the Detroit Tigers in 2026. With Skubal becoming a free agent next offseason, the Tigers have a decision to make on whether to sign him to an extension, trade him before the deadline, or keep him till the potential postseason without getting anything in return for the future.

Seeing his name getting popped in several trade reports, the two-time Cy Young winner decided to address the rumors during his appearance on Foul Territory. Skubal made it clear that he doesn't want to get traded but he can't speak for anyone else.

"The way social media is, it's hard not to see things about yourself, especially when it's talking about trades and kind of all those hypotheticals," Skubal said. "It's not (going to impact the way I'm going to work out or the way I'm going to throw or prepare to get my body ready to go for another season. So it's all out of my control. I think as a player, you don't really like, I mean, unless you want to be traded, but like, that's a whole different situation. "But it's not like I want to be traded. So it is, it does kind of like, you know, 'hey, why am I in this? Why am I in this conversation to begin with?'... I try to just stay off of it and not look at it."

Skubal mentioned that at the end of the day, no matter what happens on the outside, his routine during the offseason won't change one bit. He said this is how he has navigated trade rumors all these years.

Tarik Skubal reveals truth behind contact numbers this offseason

During his appearance on Foul Territory, Tarik Skubal admits that he has seen his name getting tied to several enormous contract figures even though he has no idea how they arrived in the first place.

"I mean, even contract stuff," Skubal said. "It's like, I don't really know where they come up with these numbers or that narrative. They create these narratives. I mean, it's part of the media job though. I get it. I mean, I get it. But if you're in my circle, you know that that's kind of how we handle things or how I'm going to handle things."

Skubal mentions that his family is more into such stuff on social media, while he likes to stay out of it. If he's getting traded, the pitcher will probably know about it at the same time as we do.

Despite the denial, Skubal will likely get a big contract, whether with Detroit or with the team that takes him on as a free agent.

Edited by Krutik Jain