The Detroit Tigers, one of the American League's worst teams, have no choice but to trade Tarik Skubal

This was supposed to be the year the Detroit Tigers took another step — a crescendo of positive momentum toward becoming one of the American League’s best.

Before this season began, the Tigers were viewed as one of the favorites in the AL Central. After back-to-back appearances in the postseason, including being one game away from the ALCS last fall, Detroit went into 2026 with the plan of being “all-in” — or, at least, their version of it. But as we near the halfway point of the 2026 MLB season, seemingly everything that can go wrong for a baseball team has gone wrong for the Tigers, and they’ve sunk to the bottom of the American League.

And now, hovering over the 27-39 Tigers’ entire 2026 season is something that has become the biggest storyline in the sport outside of the CBA negotiations. That’s the impending free agency of back-to-back AL Cy Young Award winner Tarik Skubal. With the clock ticking on the team’s time with the best pitcher on the planet, the onus was on Detroit to make the most of 2026 from the get-go — or risk being forced to part with their longtime ace prematurely.

That’s the reality the Tigers, who have face-planted so far this season, are facing. Like many teams, they’ve dealt with plenty of injuries to their 26-man roster, including extended time on the injured list for Gleyber Torres, Kerry Carpenter, Javier Báez, Zach McKinstry, Casey Mize, Kenley Jansen, Justin Verlander and, of course, Skubal. But while losing a player of Skubal’s caliber would be a significant blow to any roster, the Tigers have been horrible since he was placed on the IL in early May after getting arthroscopic surgery to remove a loose body from his left elbow.

Since Skubal went down on May 4, Detroit’s 9-22 record is the worst in MLB. And while injuries have certainly played a role, the players on the field simply haven’t performed. Offensively, Detroit has been one of the worst lineups in baseball, despite strong performances from Dillon Dingler, Riley Greene and rookie Kevin McGonigle. Since May 4, the Tigers are 28th in wRC+ and 29th in batting average and OPS. Their pitching has fared only a bit better, ranking 12th in starter ERA and 22nd in bullpen ERA over that span.

The Tigers’ 2026 season has slowly spiraled, but in reality, their tailspin to the bottom of the standings has resembled a slow leak on a sinking ship. That leak began with their 2025 collapse, which started around this time last year. Last June, the Tigers were running away with the AL Central, building the largest divisional lead in the sport. By July 6, 2025, Detroit had a 15.5-game lead and looked like one of the best teams in baseball.

But from there, the Cleveland Guardians began to chip away at the Tigers’ massive cushion at the same time as the Tigers began to crumble. Somehow, by the end of the regular season, the Guardians chased down Detroit to snatch the AL Central crown. And even though the Tigers beat Cleveland in the wild-card round, whatever went off-track during the second half of last season has followed Detroit into 2026.

Even the Tigers’ offseason — which saw them sign left-hander Framber Valdez, 38-year-old Jansen and 43-year-old Verlander to bolster their pitching — left a lot to be desired. That was true not only because the wide-open AL Central was there for the taking but also because in what could be their final season with Skubal, going for it was the obvious move. Yet the Detroit front office played it conservatively and didn’t add to the lineup — a running theme under president of baseball operations Scott Harris.

Running it back with the same offense as last year, the 2026 Tigers have been unable to shake off that second-half malaise. Since June 1, 2025, they are 76-93, and entering play Monday, they’re tied with the Boston Red Sox for the second-worst record in the American League. With the trade deadline less than two months away, all eyes in baseball are now on the Tigers — a spotlight this team has earned for all the wrong reasons.

Detroit, an apparent trade-deadline seller at this juncture, holds the most valuable tradable asset in the sport in Skubal, and the back-to-back Cy Young Award winner is on the mend just a month out from elbow surgery. He made his first rehab start on Sunday, tossing five scoreless innings with six strikeouts.

Unfortunately for Tigers fans, there is no debate to be had about trading or not trading the two-time All-Star, as there has been in years past. This season, there is only one option for Detroit, and that’s trading the longtime ace. Any other decision by the front office would be professional malpractice. Skubal, who will be a free agent at season’s end, is the type of talent who can change a playoff race or be the final piece of a World-Series caliber team.

The Tigers will get a solid return for two months of Skubal’s services, but no matter what the team acquires, that return is going to feel like a disappointment. It’s impossible not to look at Skubal’s final two years in Detroit as a wasted opportunity. That is true because of the heights the Tigers failed to reach during their should’ve-been window of contention with the world’s best pitcher, and it’s true because of how much more the team could’ve gotten in return if they’d moved Skubal earlier, when he had more club control remaining.

Over the next two months, the Tigers and Harris will field plenty of phone calls on their longtime ace. And while they might not like it, the play of the team on the field has dug such a hole that the only responsible outcome of those calls is the eventual trade of Skubal, sealing the ending of an era of Tigers baseball and a monumental missed opportunity in Detroit.