Browsing: Skubal

12 Honorable Mentions

1 of 11

Ronald Acuña Jr., OF, Atlanta Braves
Will turn 31 shortly after reaching free agency after 2028 season

Atlanta locked Acuña in long ago on an eight-year deal with club options to extend it to a full decade. He won’t be available again until after his age-30 campaign. But if he has a mostly clean bill of health for the next three years, it’s not outlandish to think he could sign another eight-year deal at north of $30 million apiece.

Roman Anthony, OF, Boston Red Sox
Will be 30 when he reaches free agency after 2034 season

See: Ronald Acuña Jr. Boston bought out Anthony’s 20s on a big extension shortly after his arrival in the big leagues, but it’s plausible he could get a second, even bigger contract if he ends up making this one look like a laughably team-friendly deal over the course of the next decade.

Riley Greene, OF, Detroit Tigers
Will have just turned 28 upon reaching free agency after 2028 season

Greene has slowly but surely blossomed into a real star, going for 36 home runs and 111 RBI during an age-24 campaign in which he was healthy enough to play in darn near every game. The AL-high 201 strikeouts stands out as a concern, but Kyle Schwarber, Shohei Ohtani and Cal Raleigh all landed in the 187-197 range without anyone much caring. If he stays healthy and continues to mash, he could become a quarter-billionaire in a few years’ time.

Jackson Holliday, 2B, Baltimore Orioles
Will turn 27 shortly after reaching free agency after 2030 season

Holliday has yet to live up to the hype of being the unanimous best prospect in baseball heading into the 2024 campaign, but let’s remember he also couldn’t legally drink a Natty Boh 11 months ago and has five years left to figure things out before reaching free agency at what will still be an uncommonly young age. We’ll see if he gets there, though. If the O’s are savvy, they’ll try to “buy low” on his modest start with something like an eight-year, $150 million extension this winter. Even if that happens, though, he’d still only be 30 when the time comes for that second contract.

Munetaka Murakami, 3B, Yakult Swallows
Turns 26 in February, expected to be posted this winter

We’ll find out soon enough if anyone is willing to go as high as $250 million for a player who strikes out quite a bit and is generally regarded as a defensive liability. But Murakami is 100 days younger than Juan Soto was one year ago, and opportunities to sign young sluggers simply don’t grow on trees. The bidding war here could get wild.

The ‘Shortstops Always Get Paid’ Tier

CJ Abrams, SS, Washington Nationals
Will turn 28 just before reaching free agency in three years

Zach Neto, SS, Los Angeles Angels
Turns 29 a few months after hitting free agency following 2029 campaign

Jeremy Peña, SS, Houston Astros
Will turn 30 just before reaching free agency in two years

Masyn Winn, SS, St. Louis Cardinals
Will be 27 when he hits free agency after 2029

Of the 18 players currently on contracts of greater than $275 million, six are shortstops: Bobby Witt Jr., Francisco Lindor, Trea Turner, Xander Bogaerts, Corey Seager and Mookie Betts. (Yes, Betts was a RF when he signed his $365 million deal, but that just means he swaps spots with current RF Fernando Tatis Jr., who was a SS when he signed his $340 million contract.)

Of this quartet of fringe candidates for $250 million, Peña would be the likeliest candidate if he wasn’t the eldest statesmen. Even so, Turner was 29 when he signed his $300 million contract, while Bogaerts was already 30 when he got $280 million, so never say never.

Abrams is probably too much of a defensive liability to make the grade here, but after three consecutive seasons with at least 18 home runs and 31 stolen bases, a similar three-year run to free agency could net him a whole lot of money.

The ‘Sometimes Aces Get Megadeals’ Tier

Hunter Brown, RHP, Houston Astros
Will be 30 when he reaches free agency after 2028 campaign

MacKenzie Gore, LHP, Washington Nationals
Turns 29 a few months after hitting free agency following 2027 season

Eury Pérez, RHP, Miami Marlins
Will be 26 when he hits free agency after 2029

The two pitchers who are going to be named the 2025 Cy Young winners in the coming weeks will appear in the top 10 as just about guaranteed candidates to join Gerrit Cole and Yoshinobu Yamamoto in MLB’s club of extremely well-compensated pitchers. But here are three others who figure to be headed for nine-figure deals when they reach free agency.

The fun side of Pérez making his MLB debut at just 20 years old is that his age-27 seasons and beyond will be up for grabs in free agency. He had a few duds in his return from Tommy John surgery this season, but he also ended the year by striking out 26 of his final 55 batters faced and will have four more years to build his value.

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Earlier this year, there was plenty of chatter throughout the baseball world about the idea of the Pirates trading Paul Skenes.

Some believed that trading the best pitcher in the game with four years of control remaining beyond 2025 was unhinged. Others thought the haul that Pittsburgh could command would jump-start a club that has seemingly been spinning its wheels for most of the past decade.

Skenes is still a Pirate, and thereâ€s no indication that will change any time soon. But what if the second-best starting pitcher in the game became available?

That scenario appears to be more realistic.

Tarik Skubal will be entering his final year prior to free agency, leaving the Tigers in a quandary. After winning the American League Central and advancing to the AL Division Series for a second consecutive season, Detroit is a team on the rise. Trading Skubal would certainly have a negative impact on the Tigers in 2026. But given the type of contract the ace is expected to seek next offseason, president of baseball operations Scott Harris must consider whether he believes he can meet that price to keep Skubal in Detroit, or whether trading the pitcher now for a haul of players/prospects is a better long-term play for the club.

“I imagine theyâ€ll consider it, if the bidding gets high enough,†said one AL executive. “Iâ€m not sure if theyâ€ll have the guts to do it.â€

Skubal, who turns 29 on Nov. 20, showed signs of a breakout in 2023 after returning from left flexor tendon surgery, going 7-3 with a 2.80 ERA in 15 starts. He established himself as an ace in â€24, going 18-4 with a 2.39 ERA, earning the AL Cy Young Award in a unanimous vote.

His dominance continued in 2025, when he went 13-6 with a 2.21 ERA, setting career highs in innings (195 1/3) and strikeouts (241) – a year that will likely result in Skubal becoming the first back-to-back AL Cy Young winner since Pedro Martinez in 1999-2000 (Jacob deGrom won in consecutive years in the National League, 2018-19).

What type of trade package would it take to land Skubal from the Tigers? Recent history can serve as a guide for those teams considering such a move.

“Pitchers of this caliber rarely become available on a short-term commitment,†an NL executive said. “There will be no shortage of suitors if Detroit makes Skubal available.â€

The Corbin Burnes trade from February 2024 is the most apples-to-apples example, as the Brewers dealt the 2021 NL Cy Young Award winner to the Orioles one year prior to free agency. Milwaukee received left-hander DL Hall and infielder Joey Ortiz, a pair of Top 100 prospects, along with a Competitive Balance Round A Draft pick (No. 34 overall).

Three executives cited the Burnes trade as a strong comp, though all of them believe the Tigers will be able to extract more for Skubal.

“The baseline is somewhere north of what Milwaukee received for Corbin Burnes,†an NL executive said. “How far north of that is anyoneâ€s guess.â€

“It would have to be two or three Top 100 type guys,†an AL executive said. “Skubal is at another level from Burnes, but that return is a good floor.â€

Last yearâ€s deal that saw Garrett Crochet traded from the White Sox to the Red Sox included two Top 100 prospects (catcher Kyle Teel and outfielder Braden Montgomery), as well as two other highly ranked Red Sox prospects (infielder Chase Meidroth and right-hander Wikelman González), though Crochet had two seasons of control remaining at the time of the deal.

“Crochet had two years left, but that is probably a reasonable market,†an AL executive said.

Three prominent hitters entering their contract season have also been moved in recent years: Mookie Betts (February 2020), Juan Soto (December â€23) and Kyle Tucker (December â€24).

The Dodgers gave up their No. 1 prospect (outfielder Alex Verdugo), No. 3 prospect (shortstop Jeter Downs) and No. 28 prospect (catcher Connor Wong) for Betts, who was set to earn $27 million that season. Five months after the trade, Betts signed a 12-year, $365 million extension with Los Angeles.

“The Betts return was underwhelming, especially in hindsight,†an AL executive said. “He was also earning so much more money, which limited the market.â€

Soto, who had already been traded from the Nationals to the Padres at the 2022 Trade Deadline, was dealt again after the â€23 season, one year before he was to hit the open market.

To acquire Soto and Trent Grisham, the Yankees gave up catcher Kyle Higashioka and right-handers Michael King, Jhony Brito, Drew Thorpe (a Top 100 prospect) and Randy Vásquez (ranked as the Yankees†No. 13 prospect). Soto had a monster season in New York, hitting a then-career-high 41 home runs with a .989 OPS, finishing third in AL MVP voting while helping the Yankees to their first AL pennant in 15 years.

Sotoâ€s stay in the Bronx was short, however. The four-time All-Star signed a 15-year, $765 million deal with the Mets after the season, moving across town for the biggest contract in baseball history.

The Cubs sent infielder Isaac Paredes, righty Hayden Wesneski and third baseman Cam Smith (MLB Pipelineâ€s No. 73 overall prospect) to the Astros for one year of Tuckerâ€s services – the latest in a recent string of trades involving star players entering their final year of club control.

Tucker made his fourth straight All-Star team, hitting 22 home runs with 73 RBIs and an .841 OPS in 136 games for Chicago. The Cubs beat the Padres in the NL Wild Card Series, then fell to the rival Brewers in a five-game NLDS, as Tucker slashed .259/.375/.370 with one home run and one RBI in the eight postseason games.

Tucker will be the No. 1 free agent this offseason, and the consensus within the industry is that the Cubs wonâ€t be the team to give him the type of contract he is seeking, meaning Tucker would be one-and-done in Chicago despite the players the Cubs parted with to acquire him.

One question that potential Skubal suitors will have to ask themselves is simple: Is it worth giving up a haul for one year of a player, even one as talented as Skubal?

“Each deal must be evaluated on its own merits, but if an acquisition of a short-term commitment helps your club reach the postseason, then itâ€s certainly worth it,†an NL executive said. “Flags fly forever.â€

“I think they can make sense for win-now teams,†an AL executive said. “The prices havenâ€t been as bad as Deadline deals.â€

With those previous trades as a roadmap for a potential Skubal deal, which teams might try to pry the ace away from the Tigers this winter?

The Mets should top the list of prospective suitors, especially after missing the postseason in 2025. President of baseball operations David Stearns has shied away from paying big free-agent prices for pitching, but the Mets and owner Steve Cohen figure to be aggressive this winter – and nothing would be bigger than trading for Skubal.

New York has plenty of young pitching to offer Detroit – Brandon Sproat and/or Jonah Tong, for example – while outfielder Carson Benge and infielder/outfielder Jett Williams could also interest the Tigers. All four of those players are in MLB Pipelineâ€s Top 100, and while giving up three (or four?) players like that might be a huge cost, the Mets have the money to sign Skubal long term and keep him in New York.

The Red Sox made a big move last year by acquiring Crochet, but imagine pairing Skubal with him atop the rotation in 2026? Boston has a pair of Top 100 pitchers (lefty Payton Tolle and righty Kyson Witherspoon) as well as two position players (shortstop Franklin Arias and outfielder Jhostynxon Garcia) on that list, giving the Sox a good foundation from which to build a package for Skubal.

Three other contending teams – the Dodgers, Phillies and Padres – should never be counted out of situations like this one, as their front offices have a history of making big moves.

A Dodgers deal would potentially have to include outfielder Josue De Paula, Los Angeles†No. 1 prospect and the No. 13 prospect in baseball. The Dodgers have seven players currently on MLB Pipelineâ€s Top 100 list – not to mention an inexpensive, budding star in Roki Sasaki – giving president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman a number of chips to use in a deal if he chooses to make his pitching-rich club even richer.

Phillies president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski has long considered top prospect Andrew Painter – who some have compared to a young Justin Verlander – to be untouchable, but Philadelphiaâ€s aging roster makes 2026 a crucial season before its current window of contention begins to close. Dombrowski has two other Top 100 prospects (shortstop Aidan Miller and outfielder Justin Crawford) who could interest Detroit.

After making a flurry of moves at the Trade Deadline, San Diego has only two players on the current Top 100 list (No. 77 catcher Ethan Salas and No. 95 lefty Kruz Schoolcraft), but president of baseball operations A.J. Preller is one of the most creative executives out there. Never count him out if he sets his mind on something, and given that both Michael King and Dylan Cease are free agents this offseason, the Padres will have to address their rotation in some form or fashion. Adding Skubal would certainly be one way to approach that.

Other teams will invariably throw their hats in the ring if Skubal is made available, but for the Tigers to move him, they will have to get back a package that not only helps the future, but allows the 2026 club to take aim at its third straight postseason berth.

“I bet they will have to add Major League players elsewhere to consider it,†an AL executive said. “They will need to demonstrate they improved the club overall.â€

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It’s complicated.

That’s one of two consensus opinions I found in speaking with six scouts/executives from different teams about the Tarik Skubaltrade speculation that has become the talk of the baseball industry over the last 48 hours.

At least it was the talk before Shohei Ohtani’s sublime performance late Friday night, but in a way, the stories are connected, especially for a team like the Mets, who need someone like Skubal to have a chance at competing with the Los Angeles Dodgers for baseball supremacy in 2026 and beyond.

More on that to come. For now, the larger point, as the scout/execs point out, is that the Detroit Tigers are in a very difficult position. They would be risking the wrath of their championship-starved fan base if they trade Skubal, arguably the best pitcher in baseball, after reaching the postseason the last two years, yet they’d almost certainly lose him to free agency a year from now if they choose not to trade him.

“That’s why it’s hard to predict which way this thing will go,” said an executive from a mid-market NL team. “In a vacuum, it’s a no-brainer, unfortunately, considering Skubal is a (Scott) Borasguy and all that. You make the best trade you can and move on. But in the real world, that’s a tough sell when you haven’t won in 40 years.”

It’s 41 years, actually, since the Tigers won the World Series in 1984. And there is another layer to their conundrum.

For years, the late Mike Ilitch, the Tigers’ owner, operated with one of the higher payrolls in baseball while trying to win another title, spending big in free agency and once locking up Justin Verlander to a seven-year, $180 million extension that at the time was the highest in the game. But Ilitch died in 2017 and his son, Christopher, has run a more budget-conscious operation since taking over.

“It’s kind of like Hal(Steinbrenner) taking over after George died,” said one midwest-based scout. “The fans there long for the days when they felt like Mike Ilitch would spend whatever it took to try to win. The son is not very popular as it is. Trading Skubal would make him persona non grata in Detroit.”

In short, this isn’t Garrett Crochet, who was traded for prospects last winter by the rebuilding Chicago White Sox, or even Corbin Burnes, traded by the small-market Milwaukee Brewers from a team that had enough pitching depth to continue winning.

Skubal is far more essential than that to the Tigers and the city of Detroit.

Oct 5, 2025; Seattle, Washington, USA; Detroit Tigers pitcher Tarik Skubal (29) pitches against the Seattle Mariners in the seventh inning during game two of the ALDS round for the 2025 MLB playoffs at T-Mobile Park / Steven Bisig-Imagn Images

Still, the same scouts and execs don’t rule out a trade. For it to happen, however, it would take a more attractive package than either Crochet or Burnes brought back.

Which leads to the second consensus opinion that emerged from my various conversations: That is, no team is more motivated or well-positioned than the Mets to make such a trade happen.

“I’d make them the favorite to get Skubal, no question, if the Tigers decide to trade him,” said an NL scout. “They have the pieces to get it done and they obviously have the need. Steve Cohen apologized to the fans for missing the postseason — what does that tell you? He’s going to want to make big-splash moves to change the narrative.”

To that point, SNY’s Andy Martino reported Friday the Mets are expected to be “involved” if Skubal is made available, and willing to “shake up their current position-player group” if it means acquiring a top pitcher.

So the question on the Mets’ end would be just how far they’re willing to go for a player they could lose to free agency after one season.

“Steve Cohen changes that equation,” said one team exec. “His money takes significant risk out of losing the player. And when you look at the Mets, as badly as they played down the stretch, they’re still talented enough that a pitcher like Skubal could be the difference-maker that gives them a chance to compete with the Dodgers and win it all next year.

“But I’d still expect them to draw a line somewhere as to how much they’d be willing to give up, knowing they could sign Skubal in a year without giving up assets.”

So what would it take? The scouts/execs all made the point that this has to be more than trading prospects, as the Tigers, even without Skubal, would go into next season trying to win, with the core of a team that had the best record in baseball until a September collapse.

“They would want players who could help them win next season, plus prospects too,” said a team exec. “They’re going to ask for (Nolan) McLean. He’s a guy you can sell to your fans as a rising star who can be another Skubal. You get him with some other pieces and maybe your fans can live with it.

“But if I’m the Mets, McLean is the one untouchable. The ceiling is too high and you have him under control for six years. Other than that, it’s finding the right combination of players on your major league roster and top prospects.”

Sep 18, 2025; Detroit, Michigan, USA; Detroit Tigers pitcher Tarik Skubal (29) pitches in the sixth inning against the Cleveland Guardians at Comerica Park. / Rick Osentoski – Imagn Images

Scouts identified catcher Francisco Alvarez, third baseman Brett Baty, and lefty starter David Peterson as possibilities the Tigers would want off the major league roster.

One suggested Clay Holmes as well.

The prospects in demand, other than McLean, figure to be pitchers Brandon Sproat and Jonah Tong, infielder Jett Williams, first baseman Ryan Clifford, and outfielder Carson Benge.

“It has to be some combination of those players,” said a scout.

Two players sparked much debate among the scouts/execs: Alvarez and Benge.

“Other than pitching, Alvarez could be the key,” one exec said. “It depends how the Tigers’ scouts evaluate him. He showed some growth after the Mets sent him to Triple-A, but is he still a 30-home run guy as he was projected to be when he came up? As a catcher, that would make him a difference-maker and something to help justify the trade from a PR standpoint.

“If you’re the Mets, you have to make the same evaluation. Is it worth giving up a catcher who’s still young (Alvarez turns 24 in November)? I’d have a hard time doing that, on top of what else you’d have to put in the deal.”

Then there is Benge, the minor leaguer who could be the long-term answer to filling the Mets’ hole in center field. Scouts love him for his athleticism and advanced approach at the plate.

“He has a chance to be a .300 hitter with power who can play center field,” one scout said. “How many of those guys are there in the game these days? If I’m the Mets, I’m doing everything I can to keep him.

“You know you’re going to have to give up pitching, probably either Tong or Sproat, plus Peterson. And you can live with giving up Jett Williams. But Benge could be special offensively and he fills a big need for the Mets.”

The bottom line is the scouts/execs believe the two teams could find enough common ground on a trade package to make it work if the Tigers become committed to making a deal. But only two of the six people I spoke to think the chances of it happening are more than 50-50.

The other four think it’s far more likely the Tigers will listen but ultimately decide that Skubal is worth more, even for one more season, than what the Mets or anyone else is offering.

“I just don’t think they’d want to deal with the uproar it would cause among their fans,” one exec said. “That’s a very real factor, especially when you haven’t won a championship in so long and the public perception is that Skubal gives them a chance next year.

“But I’ll say this: if the Mets are willing to go the extra mile, in terms of what they’d give up, they could make it awfully tempting for the Tigers to ignore all the outside noise and decide, let’s do it.”

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Thursday’s report in the New York Postthat the Detroit Tigers and Cy Young Award-winner Tarik Skubal were $250 million apart on contract value landed as a significant development in this winter’s starting pitching trade market — a market in which the Mets will be involved.

If team and player are that far apart 12 months before Skubal hits free agency, it is logical to assume that the Tigers will explore trades.

Might Skubal remain with Detroit next season? Sure. But the Post story seemed like a big move in the other direction. A subsequent report in the Detroit Free Press added that the Tigers last year offered Skubal a four-year contract for less than $100 million.

Leaks like this more frequently precede baseball breakups than they do marriages.

The Mets are looking for pitching. In fact, they would love to have a best-in-class ace as soon as possible.

Paul Skenes is the dream target for any club seeking an ace, but teams that would be interested do not expect the Pittsburgh Pirates to make Skenes available. The Mets should call the Pirates just to be sure, but now Skubal seems far more attainable.

If (when?) the Tigers do take calls on Skubal, expect the Mets to be motivated and involved. While I don’t think the Mets would deal Nolan McLean for one year of any player — McLean is part of the future, not a trade piece — the Mets surely know that they would have to discuss just about any other prospect or young player to land Skubal.

Because the Tigers are in their window to win, they would probably want MLB talent in addition to top prospects like Jonah Tong and Jett Williams. For what it’s worth, Detroit has expressed interest in Brett Baty in the past.

The Mets like Baty, but in general are willing to shake up their current position player group. For a pitcher like Skubal, any team would part with good players.

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With Tigers ace Tarik Skubala year away from free agency, the possibility exists that Detroit will make him available via trade this offseason while seeking a massive haul in return.

And Jon Heyman of The New York Post reports that the gap in what the Tigers have offered and what Skubal is seeking could be roughly $250 million.

The report from The Post regarding Detroit’s offer is similar to one that came out last November from Evan Petzold in The Detroit Free Press, who noted that the Tigers’ offer at the time was non-competitive.

Meanwhile, Tigers owner Christopher Ilitchgave a bit of a weird answer earlier this month when asked about a possible Skubal extension.

Adding more intrigue to the situation is the fact that the 28-year-old left-hander is repped by Scott Boras, who ordinarily takes his biggest clients to free agency.

That means the calculus for the Tigers could be simple: trade Skubal this offseason and maximize his value, or run the risk of losing him for draft pick compensation after the 2026 season.

In a world where Skubal is available this offseason, the Mets would almost certainly be very interested and in a strong position to make a highly competitive offer.

New York’s farm system is among the best in baseball, and was recently rated by ESPN as the No. 1 system in MLB.

With Skubal one year from free agency, the cost to acquire him would be lower than a scenario where he had multiple years of team control left, but it would still be huge.

It’s unclear what the Tigers would be seeking, but the Mets have blue chip pitching prospects and hitting prospects who are close to the majors and others who are further away. So it’s fair to believe they’d be able to put together a package that piques Detroit’s interest.

Among the Mets’ top prospects are pitchers Jonah Tong and Brandon Sproat, infielder/outfielder Jett Williams, center fielder Carson Benge, first baseman Ryan Clifford, third baseman Jacob Reimer, and shortstop Elian Peña.

As far as Nolan McLean, it’s hard to envision the Mets including him in a deal for any player who is a pending free agent.

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Oct 13, 2025, 12:41 PM ET

DETROIT — Detroit Tigers general manager Scott Harris said he extended manager A.J. Hinch’s contract during the 2025 season and insisted ownership will provide the resources necessary to sign ace Tarik Skubal to a long-term deal.

Harris and Hinch had a news conference Monday morning, wrapping up their season that ended last week with a 3-2, 15-inning loss at Seattle in Game 5 of the AL Division Series and looking ahead to next year and beyond.

“I wish we weren’t here right now,” Harris said. “I wish we were in Toronto, preparing for Game 2 of the ALCS.”

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Harris said he approached Hinch during the season, his fifth in Detroit, about extending his contract for a second time and they reached a deal quickly. Harris also signed Hinch to a long-term contract in 2023.

“He’s one of the best managers in the game,” Harris said.

Harris declined to say how long Hinch is under contract.

“We want him to be here as long as he’s willing to be here,” Harris said. “I want to work with him as long as I can possibly work with him.”

The Tigers would also like to have Skubal report to work in Detroit for years to come but know that will be costly. He won the AL Cy Young Award and was the league’s pitching Triple Crown winner in 2024. He followed that with a career-low 2.21 ERA and a career-high 241 strikeouts.

“He’s the best pitcher in baseball,” Harris said. “He’s hopefully going to win a second Cy Young.”

Skubal signed a $10.15 million, one-year contract during the last offseason – avoiding salary arbitration – and he’s set to become a free agent after the 2026 season.

To keep him off the market, team owner Chris Ilitch would have to spend many millions.

Harris insisted Ilitch will support the organization with what is needed for payroll, including what it would take to keep the 28-year-old lefty long term.

“I have no concerns about that,” Harris said.

Harris does have concerns about why the Tigers collapsed in September, when they blew the biggest lead in division or league history, and their poor performance at the plate in the postseason.

“I deserve to get those questions and we deserve the negative narrative that is swirling around this team,” he said.

Detroit had the best record in baseball for much of the season, then slumped into the trade deadline when Harris did not make a major move.

While Harris did not regret passing on pitchers he was offered, he said it is fair to question why he didn’t add a bat to the lineup.

“Maybe we should’ve,” he said.

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DETROIT — Detroit Tigers general manager Scott Harris said he extended manager A.J. Hinchâ€s contract during the 2025 season and insisted ownership will provide the resources necessary to sign ace Tarik Skubal to a long-term deal.

Harris and Hinch had a news conference, wrapping up their season that ended with a 3-2, 15-inning loss at Seattle in Game 5 of the AL Division Series and looking ahead to next year and beyond.

“I wish we werenâ€t here right now,†Harris said. “I wish we were in Toronto, preparing for Game 2 of the ALCS.â€

Harris said he approached Hinch during the season, his fifth in Detroit, about extending his contract for a second time and they reached a deal quickly. Harris also signed Hinch to a long-term contract in 2023.

“Heâ€s one of the best managers in the game,†Harris said.

Harris declined to say how long Hinch is under contract.

“We want him to be here as long as heâ€s willing to be here,†Harris said. “I want to work with him as long as I can possibly work with him.â€

The Tigers also would like to have Skubal report to work in Detroit for years to come, but know that will be costly. He won the AL Cy Young Award and was the leagueâ€s pitching Triple Crown winner in 2024. He followed that with a career-low 2.21 ERA and a career-high 241 strikeouts.

“Heâ€s the best pitcher in baseball,†Harris said. “Heâ€s hopefully going to win a second Cy Young.â€

Skubal signed a one-year, $10.15 million contract during the last offseason — avoiding salary arbitration — and heâ€s set to become a free agent after the 2026 season.

To keep him off the market, team owner Chris Ilitch would have to spend many millions.

Harris insisted Ilitch will support the organization with what is needed for payroll, including what it would take to keep the 28-year-old lefty long term.

“I have no concerns about that,†Harris said.

Harris does have concerns about why the Tigers collapsed in September, when they blew the biggest lead in division or league history, and their poor performance at the plate in the postseason.

“I deserve to get those questions and we deserve the negative narrative that is swirling around this team,†he said.

Detroit had the best record in baseball for much of the season, then slumped into the trade deadline when Harris did not make a major move.

While Harris did not regret passing on pitchers he was offered, he said it is fair to question why he didnâ€t add a bat to the lineup.

“Maybe we shouldâ€ve,†he said.

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SEATTLE — Heâ€s been the Mariners†X-factor all year, with sneaky slug potential and has seemingly been right in the thick of things when their offense plays to its ceiling.

Which made Jorge Polanco the perfect player to rise to the occasion on Sunday night in Game 2 of the American League Division Series.

Seattleâ€s second baseman hit two huge homers off all-world ace Tarik Skubal that gave the Mariners†pitching staff cushion to operate in a tense showdown that ended in a 3-2 victory for the Mariners to even the series.

Polanco became just the fourth player — and first since 2021 — to homer twice in the same game vs. Skubal, whoâ€s the front-runner to win his second straight AL Cy Young Award and is widely regarded as the best pitcher on the planet.

“We all know what he does,†Polanco said of Skubal, whoâ€d surrendered just two homers on his slider in the regular season and zero homers to a second baseman. “We know what he throws. Heâ€s got pretty good pitches, heâ€s got a pretty good fastball. I came up there just trying to get a good pitch to hit, just hit to the middle of the field and put it straight on.â€

Polanco also became the first Mariners hitter to homer twice in a postseason game since Jay Buhner in Game 3 of the 1995 AL Championship Series.

“I was feeling pretty good,†Polanco said. “I didn’t know what was coming. Like I said, I just have a good approach, stay to the middle so I can recognize the second that it starts.â€

Beyond the power, Polanco aided Seattleâ€s arms with a pair of nifty plays in the field.

In the third, he scooped a one-hopper directly in front of him for the second out to help Luis Castillo go toe-to-toe with Skubal. Then in the fifth, he corralled a grounder to his right and flipped it to shortstop J.P. Crawford for the force at second base and the second out. That set up the tensest at-bat of the night, when Gabe Speier relieved Castillo and shut down Kerry Carpenter — Detroitâ€s hero from Game 1 — to strand runners on the corners.

This season has represented a resounding rebound for Polanco, who nearly one year ago to the day had just undergone surgery to repair the patellar tendon in his left knee — an injury that he played through for virtually all of 2024, and one that significantly impacted his production. He posted career-worsts in batting average (.213), on-base percentage (.296) and OPS (.654), which led the Mariners to decline a $12 million club option at the outset of free agency last winter.

Yet within a lineup thatâ€s been buoyed by power in 2025, Polanco has quietly been one of the Mariners†most productive, slashing .265/.326/.495 (.821 OPS) with 26 homers and 78 RBIs.

“We all knew what he was going through, and we all had his back,†said Julio Rodríguez, who backed Polanco with Seattleâ€s game-winning hit later in Game 2. “We also knew how much he cared about the team last year. And just to see him going through it and showing up every single day, he inspired me a lot, I’ve got to say, just in the way that he went about his business.

“He’s put in a lot of work, and I’m so, so happy that he’s having success again and enjoying the game of baseball that he loves.â€

The Mariners knew better than anyone about the limitations he faced in ‘24, which is why they were comfortable bringing him back in free agency on a one-year, $7 million contract that included a $750,000 buyout. That deal also included a vesting player option for 2026, which he achieved last month by accumulating 450 plate appearances — an incentive tied to his health — and which he can now exercise for $6 million.

“That was my main focus during the offseason, just like trying to stay healthy,†Polanco said. “And it’s really motivated me to do it. I just feel really good.â€

Given his production this season, however, it’s possible that Polanco instead attempts to test the open market for a more lucrative deal this winter — but he still has plenty left to play for, springboarded by the biggest night of his Mariners career.

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You need your stars to show up in the clutch come October. Julio Rodríguez answered the call on Sunday night.

The star outfielder’s RBI double in the bottom of the eighth proved to be the winning moment in the Seattle Mariners’ 3-2 win over the Detroit Tigers in Game 2 of the ALDS, evening the series.

The hit was timely—the Tigers had leveled the score in the top of the frame on Spencer Torkelson’s two-run double after Seattle’s pitchers had limited the Mariners to just two hits through seven innings.

That set the stage for Rodríguez to be the hero and he delivered, following Cal Raleigh’s double with one of his own, thrilling MLB fans and pundits in the process:

The Mariners came into Sunday in borderline dire straits, down a game in the series and facing defending Cy Young-winner Tarik Skubal. And while Skubal was largely excellent through seven innings (two runs, five hits, a walk, nine strikeouts), second baseman Jorge Polanco took him deep twice.

It’s hard enough to get a homer off Skubal, but two in one game? That’s incredibly rare:

Polanco also joined some pretty rarefied air in Mariners’ history:

Seattle’s pitchers were also pretty fantastic throughout, holding the Tigers to two runs and just three hits, led by starter Luis Castillo (4.2 innings, one hit, four walks, three strikeouts). Andrés Muñoz closed the door in the ninth, and we’ve got ourselves a tied series heading back to Detroit thanks to Rodríguez.

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  Bradford DoolittleOct 1, 2025, 07:41 AM ET

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  • MLB writer and analyst for ESPN.com
  • Former NBA writer and analyst for ESPN.com
  • Been with ESPN since 2013

CLEVELAND — When it comes to winning in the MLB postseason, circa 2025, you hear a lot about high-octane bullpens and home run hitters. But when you have a throwback ace like Tarik Skubal on your side, starting pitching and a little small-ball can still get it done.

Skubal lifted the Detroit Tigers to 1-0 lead in their AL wild-card series against the Cleveland Guardians with perhaps the most dominant outing of a career that’s been full of them, tying a 53-year-old Detroit postseason record with 14 strikeouts and pitching into the eighth inning of a terse 2-1 win.

Joe Coleman set the Tigers’ postseason strikeout mark in the 1972 ALCS against Oakland.

“It doesn’t really matter,” Skubal said. “Winning is what matters to me. It’s mattered to me all year. I think winning is the most important thing in sports.”

The outing became more dominant the deeper Skubal worked into the game. According to ESPN Research, Skubal topped 100 miles per hour with a pitch 11 times, six more than he’s ever had in a start. He topped 100 five times alone in the seventh when he struck out the side, the last whiff coming on a game-high 101.2 miles-per-hour laser to get Brayan Rocchio.

If it looked like Skubal was emptying his tank, it’s because he was: Based on his usage during the season, Skubal figured that would be his last frame. But Detroit manager A.J. Hinch wanted three more batters from the AL’s reigning Cy Young winner — and the favorite to win it again.

“I thought my outing was coming to a close,” Skubal said. “But I was ready to go back out there. Never going to take myself out of a game.”

Among the 28 batters Skubal faced, only three managed to get the ball out of the infield. None of those three came in the fourth inning when Cleveland managed to scratch out a run against the blazing lefty. That tally came on two infield hits sandwiched around a walk, the second of those safeties a chopper off the plate that scored hustling Angel Martinez all the way from second.

Cleveland starter Gavin Williams struck out eight over his six-plus innings, and both runs he allowed were unearned, two errors you can’t make against an ace like Skubal when he’s on. These tight games are part-and-parcel of the Tigers-Guardians rivalry.

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“What an unbelievably pitched game we got to watch,” Guardians manager Stephen Vogt said. “Tarik Skubal was outstanding, punched out 14. Couldn’t get anything off of him. Gavin similarly.”

Game 1, played under a cloudless sky on an unusually warm early autumn day in downtown Cleveland, was something straight out of 1976. Both starters worked deep into the game. All three runs came via the small-ball route, and no ball left the yard.

The Tigers scored the go-ahead run in the seventh on a perfectly executed safety squeeze bunt by Zack McKinstry that plated Riley Green. Detroit — which laid down just five sacrifice bunts during the regular season — had two of them in Game 1.

“Anyone new to the Tigers-Guardians, this is what they look like,” Hinch said. “Like, every game. And obviously, Tarik set an incredible tone for us.”

It was indeed a throwback game dominated by a throwback starting pitcher in Skubal, who would look like an ace in any era of the big leagues.

“He’s a beast,” Hinch said. “And it’s why he’s considered by many as the best pitcher in the big leagues.”

The Guardians will try to keep their season alive in Wednesday’s Game 2, when Detroit’s Casey Mize will face Cleveland’s Tanner Bibee. The winner of the series will advance to the ALDS to face the Seattle Mariners.

Cleveland, which overcame a 15½-game deficit to overcome Detroit in the AL Central race, has, in a sense, been playing elimination-type games for some time.

“Our backs have been against the wall for three months,” Vogt said. “What’s one more day?”

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