ORLANDO, FL — What are the Detroit Tigers without Tarik Skubal?
Just ask his agent.
Scott Boras didn't shy away from the truth.
"Skubal is metrically dominant, both in advanced and traditional measures," Boras said Tuesday, Dec. 9, at the Winter Meetings. "He's truly a SABR-proof Tiger. If you want to look at the tale of the Tiger, without Skubs, they're a Mystery Machine."
At this week's gathering, the Tigers – led by president of baseball operations Scott Harris – have been listening to trade offers for Skubal rather than shutting down the rumors. The back-to-back American League Cy Young winner becomes a free agent after the 2026 season.
The three options: extend him, trade him or keep him.
The baseball world is fixated on whether the Tigers will trade him or keep him in the 2025-26 offseason, so much so that the most unlikely option – extending him – has become an afterthought.
But that's not set, either: As of now, Boras hasn't set a self-imposed deadline – such as 2026 Opening Day, on March 28 – for contract extension negotiations between Skubal and the Tigers.
But Boras seems to be waiting to hear from the Tigers.
"We've always been a listener," Boras said. "It's always been our attitude. That's up to Tarik as to how he wants to handle that. I have not discussed anything like that with him, but certainly at this point, my instructions are to listen to anything that they have to say."
The Tigers failed to extend Skubal after the 2024 season, when he rejected a four-year offer worth less than $100 million. The 29-year-old left-hander projects to become the first pitcher in MLB history to secure $400 million when he hits free agency after the 2026 season.
Skubal is the best pitcher in baseball.
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From 2024-25, the Tigers went 42-20 in Skubal's 62 starts – and just 131-131 in all other games. Without their ace, the Tigers wouldn't have advanced to the postseason in either of the past two years.
So shouldn't the Tigers be building around Skubal, going all-in with acquisitions via free agency and trade to chase a World Series in 2026, especially with virtually no chance of an extension?
One problem: The risk-averse Tigers don't believe in a Skubal window to win.
"That's not my decision to make," Boras said, "but certainly, I think they've identified that a Skubal start is a very important event for the Tigers."
Contact Evan Petzold at [email protected] or follow him @EvanPetzold.
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This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Detroit Tigers, Tarik Skubal contract talks: No deadline for extension