The Detroit Tigers made the expected decision to trade back-to-back Cy Young winner Tarik Skubal to the Los Angeles Dodgers just under a week ago.
Since the move, Skubal has already made his Dodgers debut, pitching 6.0 innings, allowing two earned runs and striking out six batters.
Skubal will become a free agent at the end of the season, and while a long-term extension remains a possibility, he appears ready to explore his options.
Skubal Speaks on Tigers Reunion
During an appearance on Barstool Sports’ “Pardon My Take” released Friday, Skubal reflected on his time in Detroit and admitted he once believed he would spend his entire career with the Tigers and win a World Series there.
However, when discussing his upcoming free agency, the 29-year-old did not close the door on a potential return to Detroit. He even expressed his hope that the Tigers will join the conversation when he hits the open market.
“This wasn’t the way the season was supposed to go. Going into the offseason, the people that we acquired through free agency and who we signed, I’m like this is the World Series team… I would love to play my whole career in Detroit and hopefully the negotiations can pick back up in November once the playoffs are done and we’ll see where that goes,” Skubal said. “I’d love to return… so hopefully they’re involved in November.”
It was tough to say goodbye to Detroit for Tarik Skubal pic.twitter.com/VUqFWAHDkK
â Pardon My Take (@PardonMyTake) August 7, 2026
Skubal’s Time in Detroit
Skubal made his MLB debut with Detroit in 2020 and quickly became a staple of the city and Tigers baseball during his six-and-a-half-year tenure with the organization.
Beyond winning back-to-back Cy Young Awards over the last two seasons, Skubal is a two-time All-Star, two-time ERA title winner, and owns a career 3.04 ERA with a 61-43 record and 1,005 strikeouts. He surpassed 1,000 career strikeouts in his final start with the Tigers, just days before Detroit traded him to Los Angeles.
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