Tigers turn Skubal sweepstakes into the whole deadline

Tarik Skubal is a two-time reigning AL Cy Young winner in the final year of his club control, and the Tigers are 51-58 with a fading grip on a wild card spot. That combination has turned the days before Monday's trade deadline into a full-blown Skubal Watch, with Jon Heyman running a 3pm rumor segment practically every day this week just to keep up.

Rob Friedman

@PitchingNinja

Tarik Skubal, 98mph ⛽️

The urgency spiked Wednesday night when Detroit blew a 7-0 lead and lost to the Orioles in 12 innings, a game Skubal himself left up 7-1 before the bullpen let it slip away. Mark Feinsand called it out plainly, noting the loss may have been Skubal's final start in a Tigers uniform, and Heyman followed almost immediately with word that a trade now 'looks more possible' with Detroit sitting 4 games back in the wild card race.

Mark Feinsand

@Feinsand

The Tigers fall to the Orioles in 12 innings, dropping to 51-58. Detroit had a 7-0 lead after six innings in what may have been Tarik Skubal's final start with the team.

By Friday, Detroit wasn't just floating Skubal, they were floating everyone. Casey Mize, a former No. 1 overall pick with a 2.70 ERA, got scratched from his scheduled start, a signal Heyman flagged as proof a full Tigers sale could be on the table alongside Gleyber Torres and Kyle Finnegan. The Brewers, per MLB Trade Rumors, are reportedly even willing to eat the remainder of Skubal's salary just to get a deal done, which tells you how badly contenders want in.

That desperation cuts both ways. Heyman reported the price tag on Skubal is being described as 'enormous' by multiple interested executives, and with roughly 70 hours left on the clock as of that report, Detroit has no incentive to blink first. The longer the Tigers hold out, the more the rest of the rotation market seems to freeze around them.

MLB Trade Rumors

@mlbtraderumors

Cubs Interested In Ray, Holmes, Hancock, Mize, Bullpen Help t.co/EIBVD1Psdf

That MLB Trade Rumors report on Friday afternoon showed the Cubs circling not just Skubal but a whole tier below him, checking in on Robbie Ray, Clay Holmes, Emerson Hancock and Mize for both rotation and bullpen depth. It's the clearest sign yet that Detroit isn't just selling one player, they're positioning themselves as the deadline's biggest supplier, and every other front office is reportedly waiting to see where the ace lands before they finish their own business. As Heyman put it, the starting pitching market has 'been waiting on Skubal' since before this week even started, and it looks like it'll stay that way until Monday.