Scott Harris didn’t say much when asked about Tarik Skubal’s wish to keep the Tigers in the conversation once free agency arrives, but the little he did say told the story.
Speaking on MLB Network, Harris acknowledged that players want to be in Detroit and praised what the organization has built, then stopped short of offering anything concrete about Skubal’s future.
"I'm not surprised. Our players love playing here.
The organization has done a ton to make this a destination and a place that players feel really supported," he said. "I can't really go into [the Tigers' potential involvement in Skubal's free agency], for all the obvious reasons."
That lines up with everything that’s happened since the deadline. Harris confirmed the Tigers had already approached Skubal about an extension once, and Scott Boras made it clear his client was headed for free agency instead. That’s the part that has irritated Tigers fans the most: if Skubal truly wanted to stay, why not at least hear the club out?
Boras later said the Tigers’ original 2024 proposal was four years and $75 million, a number that looks especially light now after Skubal’s strong 2025. Even with that hindsight, the gap between what Detroit could reasonably do and what Skubal is likely to command was always going to be massive.
Skubal also said earlier this season that the arbitration fight affected his relationship with the front office. At the deadline, reports described Harris as being "unsentimental" about moving him. Meanwhile, Boras is expected to chase top-dollar deals from the Dodgers, Mets, Phillies, or Yankees, and the Tigers won’t be able to match that kind of bidding.
So the reunion talk doesn’t sound like much more than talk. Skubal can say he’d be open to returning to Detroit, but Harris’ response made one thing clear: this path doesn’t look promising.
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