Tarik Skubal is about to become the most fascinating free agent in baseball, and apparently the Detroit Tigers aren’t expected to watch the bidding from the cheap seats.

A survey of people around Major League Baseball put Detroit in the conversation among teams viewed as threats to sign Skubal this offseason. The Dodgers, Tigers and New York Mets came up most often in that category, although the Tigers were described as more likely to sit on the periphery than to be a “true contender,” according to an extensive examination of Skubal’s looming free agency.

Yes, those Detroit Tigers.

The organization that traded Skubal to Los Angeles at the deadline could potentially bring him back a few months later. It sounds bizarre until you start looking at what has changed since August.

A Skubal Reunion Isn’t As Crazy As It Sounds

Detroit’s inclusion is significant because the Tigers haven’t traditionally competed for contracts at the very top of the free-agent market. Skubal could require exactly that kind of commitment, with his next contract widely expected to challenge the record for guaranteed money given to a pitcher.

There is also the obvious question: If Detroit is willing to pay Skubal now, why didn’t it simply keep him?

Scott Harris recently explained why he still believes trading Skubal was the correct deadline decision, framing the choice around the prospect capital Detroit would have sacrificed by keeping Skubal and Casey Mize for two more months. The Skubal deal brought Zyhir Hope, River Ryan and Brady Smith into the organization, giving Detroit three young assets it would not possess today if Harris had simply allowed Skubal to finish the season and leave as a free agent.

Re-signing Skubal wouldn’t undo that trade.

Detroit would have the prospects and Skubal.

That’s what makes this possibility so intriguing.

Skubal Has Already Left the Door Open

The idea also isn’t based entirely on outsiders connecting dots.

After being traded, Skubal publicly said he would welcome the possibility of returning to Detroit. “I would love to play my whole career in Detroit. I would love to,” Skubal said on the Pardon My Take podcast, adding that he hoped negotiations could pick back up once the playoffs were done and that Detroit would be involved in his free agency.

Those comments came only days after the trade, when Skubal openly discussed the possibility of returning to the Tigers. He had just left an organization where he developed from a ninth-round draft pick into a two-time American League Cy Young Award winner, so Detroit wouldn’t be recruiting a player who needs an introduction to the franchise, city or clubhouse.

The relationship clearly wasn’t damaged enough by the trade for Skubal to publicly close the door.

The bigger issue has always been money.

Detroit Finally Has the Financial Flexibility

This is where the offseason becomes interesting.

Detroit opened 2026 with a payroll around $200 million, but only about $85 million is currently committed for 2027 before arbitration decisions, options and offseason additions are factored into the equation. That doesn’t mean Christopher Ilitch suddenly has $115 million burning a hole in his pocket, but it does give Harris considerable flexibility.

The Tigers also aren’t starting from scratch.

Kevin McGonigle just produced a historic rookie season. Riley Greene remains an established middle-of-the-order bat. Max Clark has reached the majors, Dillon Dingler has emerged behind the plate, and more prospects are coming.

Detroit also has Framber Valdez atop a rotation that includes several young arms.

Put Skubal back at the front of that group and the complexion of Detroit’s rotation changes immediately.

Detroit Still Has to Outbid Los Angeles and New York

Of course, wanting Skubal and actually signing him are two very different things. The Dodgers and Mets have demonstrated a willingness to operate in financial territory Detroit historically hasn’t entered, and Skubal will have enormous leverage if multiple big-market clubs decide they need him.

That’s why the “true contender” conversation matters.

Detroit isn’t being mentioned merely as a sentimental reunion possibility. People inside the sport apparently believe the Tigers could actually participate.

And if Harris somehow pulls it off, the Skubal trade suddenly becomes one of the strangest roster-building maneuvers imaginable: trade your ace, collect three prospects, wait two months, then bring the ace home.

Baseball has produced crazier things.

Not many.