A.J. Hinch has mastered the art of sidestepping questions about Tarik Skubal

ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — A.J. Hinch has mastered the art of smiling and sidestepping the one question he keeps hearing at the MLB winter meetings.

The Detroit Tigers manager has no interest in discussing the possibility of losing his ace, Tarik Skubal, this winter.

Instead, Hinch wants to talk about Skubal’s chance to chase another Cy Young Award.

“Rarely do you get a chance to prepare a three-peat in the Cy Young,” Hinch said Tuesday. “He’s locked in on what he’s doing at his home. I’m locked in on looking forward to him pitching for us. If that changes, I’m going to get a call and we’ll react accordingly. But I’m not focused on that.”

Skubal, 29, is entering his final season under team control, and the Tigers have not dismissed the possibility of a trade. The left-hander’s agent, Scott Boras, said he is open to listening to extension offers from Detroit, but also painted a bleak picture of the club without its ace.

“He’s truly a saber-tooth Tiger,” Boras said. “When you look at the tail of the Tiger without Skoob — they’re a mystery machine.”

It’s a harsh truth for a franchise that has not declared any player off-limits this winter.

Skubal’s performance explains why his future is commanding the spotlight. In 2025, he went 13–6 with a league-leading 2.21 ERA, struck out 241 and posted a 0.89 WHIP over 195 1/3 innings.

Over six major league seasons, the two-time All-Star is 54–37 with a 3.08 ERA and 889 strikeouts in 766 2/3 innings. His dominance across traditional and advanced metrics has made him one of the most coveted pitchers in baseball.

Hinch said he has watched Skubal grow into that role and embrace the scrutiny that comes with greatness.

“There is so much pressure on him, so much expectation, so many high standards. And he thrives in that,” Hinch said. “That’s the thing Tarik is best at, other than getting hitters out — preparing to get hitters out.”

Hinch has no desire to imagine a rotation without him.

“The reason that all of this is such a big topic is because we have the best pitcher in baseball,” Hinch said. “And I love that he’s a Tiger.”

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AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb