Scott Harris's comments on Tarik Skubal show Tigers don't feel confident in keeping him

The Detroit Tigers have one of the best pitchers in baseball in Tarik Skubal, and with the left-hander set to be a free agent after 2026, there's concern that the Tigers' window of contention is shrinking.

Tigers president of baseball operations Scott Harris, in a piece from Evan Petzold of The Detroit Free Press, revealed his lack of concern over the "Skubal Window." But his comments also allude to Harris's lack of confidence in keeping Skubal in Detroit.

"Tarik Skubal is certainly leading the way, and he has been leading the way here," Harris said, "but there are a lot of really talented players, both in the big leagues right now and that are coming through this really talented system. I'm not looking at this as a window.

Harris believes that while Skubal is integral to the team right now, there are plenty of other players who can be major contributors. While having strong depth in the organization is a good sign, these comments are worrying.

With the "Skubal Window" up after 2026, the Tigers could be relying on their other players a lot more than before. And this comment from Harris alludes to the team not viewing Skubal's departure as the end of this team's window of contention.

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Harris further elaborated on his comments, which revealed that he doesn't believe in the "Skubal Window," despite the concerns over the team if he leaves in free agency.

"It doesn't mean that I'm shortening the present for the future by any means," Harris said, "but this whole idea of a window is not really filtering into my head because it's my job to get to the postseason every single year if I can."

While making the postseason every year is the goal, a pitcher of Skubal's caliber, who just won the 2024 AL Cy Young award and might be on his way to another, would certainly help make such a run to the postseason.

Harris's comments point towards a future without Skubal, as he doesn't see the "Skubal Window" as a real thing. He didn't ignore the window by expressing confidence in a deal being worked out, but rather with the players around him on the roster.

If he were confident in keeping Skubal, the "Skubal Window" wouldn't be a concern. But, based on these comments, which instead praise the rest of the players on the roster, those concerns are diminished not by Skubal's return, but by the impact of other players.

These comments are cause for concern, as Harris is opening the door to a potential Skubal departure by praising the other players on the roster when asked if Skubal's departure would shorten the window of contention or not.

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