From the moment that their World Series aspirations ended with an ALDS loss to the Seattle Mariners, the Detroit Tigers made it clear that they’re not at all sure what to do in 2026. Detroit retained manager A.J. Hinch, though the Tigers already parted ways with first base coach Anthony Iapoce. Lead baseball executive Scott Harris also didn’t rule out the club trading ace Tarik Skubal, the frontrunner to win his second straight Cy Young Award.

Changes feel like they’re coming to Detroit, though no move would be bigger than Skubal’s potential departure. Some might argue that the decision to keep Hinch and longtime pitching coach Chris Fetter is a sign that the Tigers won’t trade Skubal. Homegrown left-handed aces don’t grow on trees, but Skubal can hit free agency next year and will have no shortage of suitors, especially from big-market teams eager to break the bank.

In an ideal world, there’d be absolutely zero reason why the Tigers, who have made consecutive playoff appearances for the first time since 2011-14, should even entertain the thought of trading a pitcher who has posted 13.0 bWAR and a 2.30 ERA in 387 1/3 innings the last two seasons. Unfortunately, organizations have fully embraced the concept of dealing players in those situations, as the San Diego Padres and Houston Astros did with Juan Soto and Kyle Tucker, respectively.

Don’t let Hinch and Fetter’s return fool you into thinking that Skubal is guaranteed to wear a Tigers uniform next year. In fact, such a move doesn’t make sense for either party.

The Tigers need to accept reality and trade Tarik Skubal

As with anything, trade and contract decisions are far simpler than one might think. When Scott Harris didn’t commit to Skubal pitching for the Tigers in 2026, that should have erased any doubt or concerns in Detroit’s front office regarding a potential trade. If the Tigers are even considering parting ways with Skubal, then they need to bite the bullet and deal him within the coming weeks.

Let’s call things what they are. When you float the idea that you’re open to trading any player, that means exactly what it says on the tin. Harris could have taken the approach of publicly reiterating that he would not move Skubal, which is more or less what the Pittsburgh Pirates have done with Paul Skenes.

“I can’t comment on our players being traded,” Harris instead told reporters earlier this month. “I can’t comment on free agents. I can’t comment on other teams’ players. I’m going to respond by just not actually commenting on it.”

There shouldn’t be anything resembling a “we’ll see what happens” approach here. Even if Skubal isn’t sure whether he’ll re-sign with the Tigers, that shouldn’t keep Detroit from wanting to run it back next year and attempt to win its first pennant since 2012. The Tigers should either plan to build around Skubal for 2026 or just trade him now to a team willing to do what the Yankees did with Juan Soto and what the Cubs just did with Kyle Tucker, which is taking the risk of trading top prospects for an elite player who can increase your chances of winning a championship.

Is there a risk on the Tigers’ side of making such a move? Of course, but that applies to any transaction. If you’re cooking a hamburger and think it’s not done yet, you throw it back on the grill because of your gut feeling. Harris and the Tigers need to trust whatever they’re feeling internally and, as tough a decision as it might be, trade their ace before it’s too late.