Well, friends, we did it! We survived the holiday season and we have entered a brand new year. We can cross our fingers that the Tigers have made a resolution to build a team that can get back to the postseason, but we shouldn’t hold our breath until we see some actual movement from the team.
Meanwhile, there is no rest for the wicked, and the wicked in this case is all those trade rumors about Tarik Skubal. Nope, those haven’t slowed down at all over the holidays, so we’ll get into them below. Plus
we look at some updates for managerial moves in the AL Central, and some general tidbits of MLB news. It’s still a slow news period, but things should start to pick up pace this week.
Note: there is a minor spoiler for the Stranger Things finale in the MLB News section, so if you are hoping to avoid spoilers, stop scrolling when you see that header.
Detroit Tigers News
- MLB dot com had a look at the biggest questions for each team ahead of Spring Training. For the Tigers it will come as no surprise that the potential of a Tarik Skubal trade is weighing heavily on everyone’s mind. Here’s what they had to say:
Detroit’s run of success the last couple years has come largely without distractions, but Tarik Skubal’s contract situation could become one if they’re not careful. First and foremost, the Tigers have to decide whether to keep Skubal or trade him this offseason. If they hold onto him, then comes the question of whether a contract extension is feasible before free agency, and how long they can negotiate before putting the matter aside and focusing on the season. The 2014 Tigers did well to win amidst Max Scherzer’s contract year and a Spring Training extension offer controversy, but this is a much younger club.
- ESPN has been making some bold predictions for 2026, and one of them is pretty wild. They’re predicting that the Tigers will trade Skubal, but they’ll wait until July, and his trade destination will be the Dodgers. Here’s what they specifically had to say of this prediction.
For several reasons — from the rarity of a three-peat to the potential for a new economic landscape starting in 2027 — the Dodgers will surely push all their chips to the middle of the table in their quest for another title.
They can even afford to trade for Skubal as a rental if the move leads them to a third straight championship, whereas just about any other team would need to immediately sign him to a long-term deal in order to justify giving up the prospects it will undoubtedly take to land a back-to-back Cy Young Award winner. If the Tigers fall out of the race, L.A. simply makes too much sense as a landing spot for Skubal — that is assuming he’s not traded in the coming weeks.
AL Central News
- Looks like the Royals are standing by their man.
MLB News
- Tatsuya Imai has signed a deal with the Houston Astros, but it includes several opt-outs.
- Some disappointing free agent signings from last year who are hoping for a bounce-back season in 2026.
- The Blue Jays have signed six-time Japanese All-Star Kazuma Okamoto.
- A few cute baseball-themed moments from the Stranger Things finale (minorly spoilery for the final episode).
