Tarik Skubal, who spent his entire Major League Baseball career with the Detroit Tigers before a midseason trade to the Los Angeles Dodgers, has expressed a strong desire to return to Detroit in free agency. Skubal, now nearing the end of his pre-arbitration years and poised for free agency after the season, acknowledged the emotional difficulty of leaving the only team he has ever known.
"I would love to play my whole career in Detroit. I would love to," Skubal said in an interview. "And hopefully those negotiations can pick back up in November once the playoffs are done. We’ll see where that goes. Hopefully they’re involved with everything. I would love to return."
Skubal described his departure from Detroit as an emotional experience, even for someone who typically does not express emotion easily. "You start saying goodbye to teammates…a lot of those guys are my best friends," he said. "It’s a bunch of men, and I’m crying. I hate crying. I don’t cry a lot."
He also reflected on the Tigers' offseason acquisitions, including Framber Valdez, Kenley Jansen, and the returns of Jack Flaherty and Justin Verlander, which led him to believe the team was built for a World Series run. "This wasn’t the way the season was supposed to go. Going into the offseason, [with] the people that we acquired through free agency and who we signed, I’m like, ‘This is the World Series team,’" Skubal stated. "This is the team that I’m gonna go and win a World Series and beat anybody."
The trade itself has sparked discussion, particularly given the perception of the Dodgers' financial strategy in acquiring talent. However, Skubal's comments suggest that the possibility of him rejoining the Tigers remains open, contingent on future negotiations. The Dodgers, while acquiring Skubal, have a history of trading for players with the intention of a short-term playoff push, often allowing them to enter free agency afterward. Previous examples include Yu Darvish in 2017, Manny Machado in 2018, and Trea Turner and Max Scherzer in 2021, none of whom were re-signed by Los Angeles long-term.
Despite the trade, the Tigers have been performing well, winning seven of their last 10 games and positioning themselves in the American League wild-card race. The team has also seen the return of top prospect Jackson Jobe from Tommy John surgery.