Trade rumors:
DETROIT – One of the biggest question marks for the Tigers is what they are going to do with Tarik Skubal. He will hit free agency in 2027 and is rumored to be seeking a contract in the ballpark of $400 million.
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If the Tigers let him walk after the 2026 season, they will receive nothing unless they extend him a qualifying offer and he declines (in which case they would receive a compensation pick in the draft).
If the Tigers were to trade Skubal this offseason, they would receive a massive return of top prospects and potentially a major league ready arm and position player. They reportedly offered him around or under $100 million during the 2024-25 offseason.
Several teams are reportedly interested in shopping Skubal -- the Seattle Mariners, New York Mets, and Boston Red Sox have been named as potential landing spots. Insider opinions are still divided on whether or not Skubal will remain a Tiger through the 2026 season.
One name thrown around in a possible trade has been Red Sox OF Jarren Duran. He spent the majority of his innings in left field for the Red Sox in 2025 but can play all three outfield spots. He slashed .256/.325/.435 in 2025 for a 3.9 fWAR (FanGraphs WAR calculation).
Assuming Duran would play CF for the Tigers, he would be at least a 2-3 WAR upgrade over Parker Meadows, who is projected by FanGraphs to post a 1.4 WAR to Duran’s 2.5 projected WAR for 2026.
Duran has three years of team control left and will hit free agency in 2029.
Free agent rumors:
Various names have been linked to the Tigers -- including but not limited to Alex Bregman, Bo Bichette, Kyle Finnegan, Ranger Suarez, and Dylan Cease.
Alex Bregman opted out of his contract with the Red Sox for the 2026/2027 seasons. After missing out on the Bregman sweepstakes in 2025, the Tigers could make another push for the veteran 3B. Bregman slashed .273/.360/.462 in 2025 for a 3.5 fWAR.
Bregman is projected by FanGraphs to be worth 3.9 WAR in 2026. He would be an upgrade both offensively and defensively from the platoon the Tigers had at third base in 2025.
Bo Bichette became a free agent after his contract with the Blue Jays ended after the 2025 season. He slashed .311/.357/.483 with the Blue Jays for a 3.8 fWAR, and hit .348 with a home run and 6 RBI for the Blue Jays in the postseason.
He would be a major offensive upgrade from Javier Baez at shortstop for the Tigers, who was worth 1.4 WAR after his best offensive season since 2021.
Kyle Finnegan became a free agent when the 2025 season ended and has expressed interest in re-signing with the Tigers. He posted a 1.50 ERA with Detroit after coming over from the Washington Nationals at the trade deadline.
Ranger Suarez began the 2025 season on the injured list and later joined the starting rotation in early May. He went 12-8 with a 3.20 ERA and 151 strikeouts in 157.1 innings pitched.
Suarez is a left-handed pitcher who throws from a three-quarter arm slot.
His arsenal includes a low 90s sinker, a high 70s changeup that mirrors the sinker but has 10 mph velocity separation, a mid-80s cutter, a low-90s four seam fastball, and a high 70s slider.
Dylan Cease became a free agent after the 2025 season. He was the no. 2 starter for the Padres and posted a 4.55 ERA, striking out 215 in 168 innings pitched.
He throws from a high three-quarter arm slot, and his arsenal includes a high-90s four-seam fastball he rides at the top of the zone, a high-80s gyro slider with late downer movement, a low-80s curveball, a high-90s sinker, and a mid-80s sweeping slider.
The winter meetings are coming up Dec. 7-10 and are a major hub for deal-making.
It is assumed the Detroit Tigers’ offseason will hinge upon what they decide to do with Tarik Skubal.