Who even cares at this point that the Detroit Tigers blew a 15.5-game lead in the AL Central to the Cleveland Guardians? They just defeated Cleveland in a hard-fought Wild Card Series, punching their ticket to the ALDS. As frustrating as September was for Tigers fans, being in Detroit's shoes is certainly better than Cleveland's at this juncture.
Whether the Tigers get past the Seattle Mariners in the ALDS remains to be seen, but just getting past Cleveland, considering how September went, is enough of a reason for the entire city of Detroit to celebrate. The vibes were incredibly high, yet somehow, owner Christopher Illitch found a way to kill those good vibes almost instantly.
When asked whether a Tarik Skubal extension would be prioritized, all Illitch had to say was "we're in 2025 right now." Yikes.
I asked #Tigers owner Christopher Ilitch if he will prioritize a contract extension for Tarik Skubal, who is set to become a free agent after the 2026 season.
— Evan Petzold (@EvanPetzold) October 2, 2025
"We're in 2025 right now," Ilitch said. https://t.co/iuwKfkmnrm
When asked whether a Tarik Skubal extension would be prioritized, all Illitch had to say was "we're in 2025 right now." Yikes.
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Tigers owner found the one way to kill the vibes after Wild Card Series win
On the surface, this isn't a horrible response to a question that's been asked repeatedly for a while now. The focus, while the Tigers are alive, should be on 2025. Everyone should be hoping for a World Series run, and with Skubal in town, the odds of the Tigers winning it all for the first time since 1984 certainly aren't zero.
With that being said, though, wouldn't the response be different if Illitch were prioritizing a Skubal extension? The obvious answer, if extending Skubal was going to be a priority, would've been "yes, we're obviously going to try and extend the best pitcher on the planet." Illitch's non-answer feels like an answer, and not one that Tigers fans like.
Tigers fans should be excited and focused on now, but in the back of everyone's mind is Skubal's future, and understandably so. The southpaw is under contract through the end of the 2026 season, and his price goes up by the start. This kind of answer gives the city of Detroit no reason to believe that reality will change anytime soon. That is a problem.
Tigers face major Tarik Skubal dilemma after Chris Illitch's comments
The Tigers have Skubal dealing in the middle of his prime right now, but who knows how long that will last? Once this playoff run ends, the organization will have a major decision with the southpaw. Nobody will care too much about it if the Tigers win it all, but anything short of that will have fans panicking.
The dream scenario would be extending Skubal, but it feels like Illitch is making it fairly clear that a deal, at least right now, is unlikely. If the Tigers are unable or unwilling to extend Skubal in the offseason, then what?
They shouldn't want to trade him when the team is still quite good (and should only be better with top prospect Kevin McGonigle knocking on the door), but losing him to free agency while getting nothing in return should also be a non-starter.
Tigers fans need answers regarding what's to come. If Illitch is willing to spend what it takes to keep Skubal in town, Tigers fans deserve to know that. If not, what's the plan? By dismissing the question (which will be asked ad nauseam in the offseason too) all Illitch is doing is give the impression that this kind of success is short-lived and Skubal will be wearing another uniform one way or another by the 2027 season at the latest.