YouTube: Tarik Skubal '100% getting traded'

Fuzzy, a baseball creator with 619,000 YouTube subscribers, posted a May 23 MLB recap video that put Detroit Tigers left-hander Tarik Skubal at the center of its headline. The upload appeared on YouTube under the title “Tarik Skubal MUST BE TRADED.. NOW!! Volpe Finally ‘FIXED’, But.. Braves to World Series? (Recap),” according to the listing visible on May 24. The video had about 19,470 views roughly five hours after posting, and its chapter list included “Guardians just ended the Tigers season?” and “What would a Skubal trade look like??” The video did not document a trade. The available YouTube listing showed a creator recap format built around highlights, standings and roster talk, with Skubal trade speculation presented as one segment among several MLB storylines. ### What exactly did the YouTube post say? The May 23 upload used a headline that made Skubal trade talk the lead item, followed by references to Yankees shortstop Anthony Volpe and the Atlanta Braves. (youtube.com) The chapter markers on the listing showed the Skubal segment beginning at 9:12, after a section labeled “Guardians just ended the Tigers season?” YouTube’s visible description framed the clip as part of Fuzzy’s daily “MLB Recap” series. (youtube.com) The text under the listing summarized games across the schedule, including Tigers-Guardians, but the accessible listing did not provide a transcript of the Skubal segment itself. ### Why was Skubal already a trade subject before this video? MLB.com reported on Jan. 14 that Skubal and the Tigers had failed to settle his 2026 salary in arbitration, with Skubal filing at $32 million and Detroit countering at $19 million. (youtube.com) Mark Feinsand wrote that Skubal is in his final year of club control and is set to become a free agent after the 2026 season. MLB.com also cited unnamed American League and National League executives saying a pre-hearing trade would be difficult because an acquiring team would want salary certainty first. Baseball-Reference lists Skubal’s 2026 contract status as signed for one year at $32 million, with free agency after 2026. ### What was happening with Detroit when the video went up? (mlb.com) StatMuse showed Detroit at 20-32 and 10.5 games behind Cleveland in the American League Central entering May 24. Baseball-Reference recorded Cleveland beating Detroit 3-1 on May 21, part of the slide referenced in the video’s chapter text. (mlb.com) USA Today’s Tigers coverage on May 23 said trade rumors were building around Skubal as Detroit struggled near the bottom of the league. That gave the YouTube title a news hook, even though the listing itself offered commentary rather than reporting of a transaction. ### Was Skubal even active at the time? (statmuse.com) MLB.com’s Tigers injuries page said on May 22 that Skubal was on the injured list with a loose body in his left elbow and had thrown a 35-pitch, two-inning bullpen on May 21 at Comerica Park. The same update said he was expected to throw another bullpen on May 23 in Baltimore, weather permitting, before a higher-intensity session the following week in Detroit. (soonerswire.usatoday.com) MLB.com reported on May 15 that Skubal had begun playing catch about a week after arthroscopic surgery to remove a loose body from his pitching elbow. NBC Sports, citing ESPN’s Jeff Passan, said Detroit expected him to miss at least two to three months when he was placed on the injured list. ### What do Skubal’s 2026 numbers look like in the middle of all this? (mlb.com) CBS Sports’ game log and StatMuse both showed Skubal making seven starts before going on the injured list. StatMuse listed him with a 2.70 ERA over 43 1/3 innings through April 29, while FanGraphs showed a 2.11 FIP over that span. May 23 was the date of the YouTube upload, but Detroit’s next concrete step was on the field and in rehab. (mlb.com) MLB.com said Skubal was due for that Baltimore bullpen on May 23 and could face live hitters the following week in Detroit if his recovery continued. (mlb.com) (cbssports.com)