The Detroit Tigers have one of the most sought-after trade chips on their roster — Tarik Skubal.
The 29-year-old southpaw is floating around in an overwhelming amount of trade rumors, but an official decision has yet to be made.
Nonetheless, speculations loom.
MLB Executives Talk Skubal’s Fate With the Tigers
GettyTarik Skubal’s fate with the Detroit Tigers remains unclear
According to Mark Feinsand of MLB.com, a variety of National League and American League executives weighed in on Detroit’s position with Skubal.
Ultimately, the discussions boiled down to whether the Tigers will become sellers. As expected, Skubal was the hot topic here.
“They have to move Skubal; there’s no way around it,” said one AL executive, per Feinsand. “They will set that franchise back 10 years if they don’t. He’s gone at the end of the year regardless, and they can pull Major League assets back.”
However, another Al executive stated, “There’s so much baseball yet to play. They are not dead. They have one of the better teams in the AL and definitely the most talented team in the AL Central. My guess is that if they have a greater than 25% chance of making the playoffs, they will hold.”
Bottom line, shipping Skubal out to another ballclub would undoubtedly shake the Major Leagues.
But he’s been in trade talks for quite some time. Watching him head out the door wouldn’t come as a surprise. Such a change must be their answer.
“I think their playoff odds are probably around 20-25% depending on where you look, but ultimately some of their chips — Skubal in particular — have too much expiring value to hold, in my opinion,” said an NL executive, further reported by Feinsand.
“They’ll certainly be able to do way better for him at the Deadline than the Comp pick they would get for extending him a qualifying offer. I would be shocked if they didn’t move the rest of their rentals, as well,” he continued.
Skubal’s MLB Career
GettyDetroit Tigers’ Tarik Skubal could be shipped out before the MLB trade deadline
Skubal has developed into one of the most valuable starters in the big leagues.
The Tigers selected him 255th overall in the ninth round of the 2018 MLB draft.
His debut arrived in August 2020.
Each of his seven years in the Majors has been spent with the Detroit franchise.
Overall, he owns a career 3.09 ERA and a 1.02 WHIP.
So far this season, he’s registering a 3.32 ERA and 66 strikeouts across 59.2 innings pitched through 10 starts.
His campaign has been anything but flawless, but that doesn’t take away from his elite ability on the mound.
Overall, Detroit’s season took an unexpected turn early on. They entered their campaign with some of the top arms in baseball, yet they weren’t producing as such.
As mentioned, it’s not too late to turn themselves around.
However, a massive change may be their only logical answer.
Tigers Right Now
GettyTigers manager A.J. Hinch could undergo a shakeup with his franchise before the MLB trade deadline
Detroit is coming off an 8-6 loss to the Houston Astros on Saturday, June 27.
They have one more clash remaining of their four-game stretch at Comerica Park.
At the time of this writing, the Astros are leading the series, but Detroit could still surge ahead on Sunday to end the set with a tie.
Looking at the standings, the Tigers are still second-to-last in the American League Central.
They are carrying a 35-48 overall record.
Detroit Tigers Ignite Tarik Skubal Sell Debate Ahead of MLB Trade Deadline