Why Tigers’ Tarik Skubal is one of MLB’s biggest losers of 2026 season originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
The Detroit Tigers are having a nightmare 2026 season, as they’re last in the American League following a loss to the Los Angeles Angels, putting them at 22-35.
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With the way things are trending, the Tigers might have to blow it up at the trade deadline to avoid the 2026 season from being a total and complete disaster. But, if there were one player on the team reeling the most from how the year’s gone, it would be Tarik Skubal.
Tim Kelly of Bleacher Report named Skubal as one of the biggest losers of the 2026 season in Major League Baseball. While it’s harsh, this is a fair assessment for Skubal, as this season has been a total disaster.
“Loser: Tarik Skubal,” Kelly writes. “… having any sort of work done on your elbow in your contract year is a bad outcome for a pitcher, especially one who throws hard and already has had Tommy John surgery once.”
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Skubal’s surgery to remove loose bodies in his elbow has kept him out for a lot of the 2026 season, and it is a major red flag at the worst possible time.
The Tigers ace will be a free agent after the 2026 season, and while he’s been one of the best pitchers in baseball the last few years, there is reasonable fear about how healthy he will be going forward that could hurt his contract in free agency.
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This situation would hurt any pitcher heading into free agency, and for Skubal, who has a chance to smash the record for most money received by a pitcher in MLB history, this is a tough situation to deal with.
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Not only is Skubal not putting his free agency at risk, but it’s all but guaranteed he won’t win the AL Cy Young this season. And with the Tigers’ struggles, Skubal might also be traded by the August 3 trade deadline.
Between the potential for a trade, his injury, and his looming free agency, it’s easy to understand why Skubal is one of the biggest losers in baseball this season.
