Life's bad for Royals fans, but another division rival is nearing rock bottom

Things have gotten rough for Royals fans in recent weeks. After clawing their way back into the postseason picture after their win over the Detroit Tigers on May 9, Kansas City has gone 1-9 in their last 10 games. They're now 20-30 and tied for the fifth worst record in baseball. And there's no shortage of ways for the Royals faithful to point the finger of blame, whether it be toward the coaching staff or the series of underwhelming performers on the field.

But as the standings prove, it could be worse. In fact, they could be in the state the Tigers are in right now. After their brutal collapse in the second half of last season that nearly cost them their place in the postseason, Detroit has started the year very similar to the Royals. Their half a game worse than Kansas City at 20-31 and have been stumbling along without their ace Tarik Skubal. And unlike the Royals, the Tigers had a postseason reputation to protect entering 2026.

It may not be a welcome sight for Royals fans to see the Tigers' ace rehabbing rapidly from his recent elbow surgery and perhaps nearing a return there is a caveat to his quicker time on the shelf. However, after being heavily speculated in trade talks all winter, Jon Heyman of the New York Post reported on Thursday that the chances Skubal still gets traded this season are rising despite his injury. And FanSided MLB insider Robert Murray posed the question of whether Skubal gets dealt to executives, all of whom said the trade possibility could be there, dependent on injury.

The Royals still have seven games left to play against the Tigers this season, four of which come on the road and all of which come from July 23 onwards. So, obviously getting Skubal out of the division would ideal for a team like Kansas City who entered the year with playoff ambitions. And while the Royals have plenty on their plate that they can do to better their chances of winning games themselves, they're in a position where they have to take any indirect wins as well.

It may be positive now, but Tarik Skubal trade could cause Royals future problems

For 2026, getting Skubal out of their hair and elsewhere in the league would be a benefit - especially if it is to one of the National League teams like the Los Angeles Dodgers, San Diego Padres or Philadelphia Phillies like Murray mentioned.

However, the return could be an issue, especially if it becomes a trade deadline bidding war for him. While he may heading to free agency at the end of the season, it's not often that pitcher of Skubal's caliber comes on the trade market, making a lucrative return still likely despite the rental window.

"If I had to answer, I’d say one top-100 prospect plus a top-15 and one more throw in," one league executive told Murray on a potential Skubal return.

"Everyone else treats it like Wall Street and asset value so my guess is a couple of top 10 prospects for a couple months of him," another told him.

"It’s so difficult to tell but I think it would start at one top-50 and another top-100 prospect," a third exec told Murray. "If it was a top-10 prospect in the game maybe it could be that plus a fringe top-100 guy also (plus probably 1-2 throw-in types. In scouting terms we would say probably two ‘B1’ Grade prospects as a start and then a couple ‘C’ grades also."

Top 100 prospects. Organizational Top 10 or Top 15 names. All of this spells potential success for the future for a Tigers team that just graduated potential 2026 AL Rookie of the Year winner Kevin McGonigle and still have three names within MLB Pipeline's Top 100. On top of that, key major league names like Riley Greene, Kerry Carpenter and Spencer Torkelson aren't exactly old-timers themselves.

While it might be a short-term win for the Royals to get Skubal out of the Central, there's always the worry of tomorrow looming. And seeing potential trade package structures like that for a rival rental arm is not the most comforting thing in the world for a Royals team hoping to firmly enter their prime competitive era over the next few seasons.

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