Tigers make early trade decisions on Tarik Skubal, others

Apr 18, 2026; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Detroit Tigers starting pitcher Tarik Skubal (29) pitches during the first inning against the Boston Red Sox at Fenway Park. Mandatory Credit: Bob DeChiara-Imagn Images

The Detroit Tigers have found just a little bit of life.

They swept the AL East-leading Tampa Bay Rays, and that's the kind of signal they may have needed to slow the roll on all the trade rumors.

Detroit was 15 games under .500 at one point. That's the kind of struggle that can make it very obvious what a team is going to do when the trade deadline arrives in a couple months.

Instead, the Tigers have found some momentum, and with Tarik Skubal working his way back from injury, maybe they won't yet have to contemplate trading Skubal himself quite yet.

ESPN's Buster Olney posted an update on X on Thursday with that in mind:

"Tigers are telling other teams: As of now, they're not selling. The sweep of the Rays will fuel their hope of climbing back into the AL race."

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There's plenty of time for that to change, of course, but it's positive for fans of the Tigers right now to know their team isn't giving up hope yet.

The trade deadline isn't actually until the first week of August this season, so Detroit has a lot of time to prove to itself that it can still work its way back into contention.

Skubal was, and still is, going to be the trickiest question here. As a back-to-back Cy Young winner in the last year of his contract, he could likely get a very strong haul, as long as he's healthy. But he's also the kind of guy a true contender can't afford to trade away, because he can win you multiple playoff games by himself.

Will the Tigers look like true contenders in a month's time? That's a question only they themselves will be able to answer.

In the meantime, they're holding firm and hoping their most talented players can hit their strides and keep the turnaround going in Detroit. If they don't a fire sale could still happen down the road.

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