The Detroit Tigers traded ace Tarik Skubal to the Los Angeles Dodgers on Saturday, Aug. 1. But could that just be a temporary vacation for the lefty?
Skubal was interviewed on the Pardon My Take podcast
in an episode released on Friday, Aug. 7, talking about how difficult it was to leave Detroit following the trade. And then, essentially unprompted, Skubal opened the door to a possible reunion with the Tigers."I would love to play my whole career in Detroit. And hopefully those negotiations can pick back up in November once the playoffs are done," he said. "Hopefully [the Tigers] are involved with everything. I would love to return. I've got nothing but good things to say about the city of Detroit."
There's precedence for the Tigers bringing back
a player they traded at a previous deadline, with starter Jack Flaherty signing a two-year free agent contract with Detroit ahead of the 2025 season months after the Tigers traded him to the Los Angeles Dodgers at the 2024 trade deadline. Flaherty won a World Series with the Dodgers in 2024 – a feat Skubal hopes to repeat in 2026 – before finding his way back to Detroit.
Circumstances are different with the Tigers and Skubal, however.
For one, the Tigers have never publicly indicated that they are willing to offer Skubal a potentially record-setting contract. For another, Skubal will likely be the most prized free agent on the market ahead of the 2027 season, with several big-market teams, including the Dodgers, likely to bid high for Skubal's services.
It remains to be seen whether the Tigers will want to bid with higher-spending teams, but if they do, it seems Skubal would be happy to negotiate.
Skubal also talked about the difficulty of leaving the Tigers, saying that he cried when saying goodbye to his teammates.
"I hate crying, I don't cry a lot. When my wife walked down the aisl,e I didn't cry because I was so nervous, and I'm crying in a clubhouse with a bunch of other grown men saying bye to everybody and giving everybody a hug," he said.
It was tough to say goodbye to Detroit for Tarik Skubal pic.twitter.com/VUqFWAHDkK
— Pardon My Take (@PardonMyTake) August 7, 2026
Skubal lost his first start with the Dodgers on Tuesday, Aug. 4, allowing two earned runs over six innings in a 5-1 loss to the Chicago Cubs. The first-place Dodgers entered Friday on a season-long six-game losing streak, while the fourth-place Tigers have won seven of eight games to vault back into the American League wild card discussion.
But even with their slide, the Dodgers have by far the best odds to win the World Series, currently at 22.9% per FanGraphs, with the Tigers at 1.6%.
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You can reach Christian at cromo@freepress.com.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Tarik Skubal says he 'would love to return' to Detroit Tigers
