"When pigs fly"; "Like me proposing Anne Hathaway" - Fans explode after leaked email hints Rockies could land Cy Young winner Tarik Skubal

Tarik Skubal will be headed into free agency at the end of the 2026 season. If the Detroit Tigers are unable to extend him by July next year, there will be a possibility that the team to consider a trade for their ace.

One team that is ready to give it a shot is the Colorado Rockies. A fan on social media posted an email conversation with Rockies owner Dick Monfort pleading with him to trade for Tarik Skubal. Monfort kept the door open for a possible deal.

"Thanks Kevin, will see what happens," Monfort wrote in his email.

Fans were quickly on to the scene as they trolled Monfort for keeping any hopes of the Rockies, the worst team in baseball in 2025, acquiring the best pitcher in the American League. Here are a few reactions:

"When pigs fly," a fan wrote.

Umpireman7

@umpireman7

@TalkinBaseball_ @_Kevlar23_ 🤣🤣⚾️ when pigs fly

"This is like me proposing to Anne Hathaway," a fan said.

Justin

@reldrago

@TalkinBaseball_ @_Kevlar23_ this is like me proposing to anne hathaway

"Colorado get: Skubal. Detroit get: prospects #1 to #25, 50% of Rockies ownership, 3 fighter jets, a date with Anne Hathaway and a lifetime supply of two topping pizza from Pizza Hut," a fan proposed.

Allanghieri Clair Obscur

@Allanghieri

@TalkinBaseball_ @_Kevlar23_ Colorado get: Skubal Detroit get: prospects #1 to #25, 50% of Rockies ownership, 3 fighter jets, a date with Anne Hathaway and a lifetime supply of two topping pizza from Pizza Hut

"He would rather retire than go to this s**tshow organization," a fan added.

CS

@csandbach

@TalkinBaseball_ @_Kevlar23_ He would rather retire than go to this shitshow organization.

"If the Rockies land Skubal I’ll cook my shoe and eat it on Twitch," a fan claimed.

Vic☝🏼

@Vic_x97

@TalkinBaseball_ @_Kevlar23_ If the Rockies land skubal I’ll cook my shoe and eat it on twitch.

"Someone should message him asking when he's going to sell the team and see if he responds to that. Rockie fans deserve so much better," a fan commented.

MartianTruther

@Extremely00p

@TalkinBaseball_ @_Kevlar23_ Someone should message him asking when he's going to sell the team and see if he responds to that. Rockie fans deserve so much better.

The Colorado Rockies recorded the most losses for a team in the history of the National League in a 162-game season this year, with a 43-119 record. Their pitching staff was the worst in the league with a 5.97 ERA, and recorded the lowest strikeouts, 1093.

Even if the Rockies try to get him at the trade deadline, it would be impossible for them to sign him long-term, considering there will be big-market teams in contention. Their 2025 payroll was the 21st highest in the league at $120,693,976.

Tarik Skubal and the Detroit Tigers remain $250 million apart in negotiations

According to Jon Heyman in his New York Post column, the Tigers' initial offer in the previous offseason for the 2024 American League Cy Young winner was below the six-year $170 million contract Garrett Crochet signed with the Boston Red Sox. Crochet's deal is the largest extension for a pitcher with four or five years of service time.

The $400 million asked by Skubal's camp could be on a long-term deal nearing a ten-year spell. The amount would eclipse the current record for the highest contract signed by a pitcher, held by the Los Angeles Dodgers' Yoshinobu Yamamoto, who is currently in the second year of his twelve-year $325 million contract.