Tigers ace Tarik Skubal notches 1,000th career strikeout with trade talks swirling

Detroit Tigers starting pitcher Tarik Skubal notched his 1,000th career strikeout in Wednesday's game against the Baltimore Orioles.

It didn't take long for the ace to reach the milestone, as he entered the day sitting at 999 punchouts in his career.

In the top of the first inning, Skubal had a full count against Taylor Ward before putting away the leadoff batter with an 84 mph changeup.

The pitcher's milestone comes at an interesting time in his career. Skubal is in the final year of his deal with the Tigers and has been included in trade talks as a potential target. The southpaw mentioned last week that he was aware that he could be coming up on his last start with Detroit.

When asked if his start last Friday could be his final home outing at Comerica Park, Skubal conceded it was very possible:

"That might be reality, a little bit, but also five days later is another one at home. I don't know the rotation or how that shakes out … That'll set in when it needs to set in, not right now."

The 2026 MLB trade deadline is set for Monday at 6 p.m. ET. After Wednesday's game against Baltimore, Skubal is next projected to pitch on the road against the Seattle Mariners next Wednesday if he is still wearing the same jersey after the trade deadline.

Skubal has started 15 games this season and has tallied a 7-5 record with a 2.70 ERA. Entering Wednesday's start, he had struck out 110 in 90 innings of work.

Detroit has a big decision to make with its ace. Either the Tigers bank on agreeing to a long-term extension with Skubal at top dollar, or the franchise has to get something for him rather than letting him walk in free agency, hence the trade talks.

The Tigers are still in contention for an AL wild card, but are in the bottom half of the race. If Detroit were leading the AL Central, it may have more reason to keep Skubal, but the recent slide could be enough to make the front office start to consider some offers.