The Detroit Tigers have suddenly bounced right back into contention after a dreadful start to the summer. The first half of the season is over, and while they are eight games under the .500 mark, they are just 6 1/2 back of first place in the American League Central and 3 1/2 back in the wild card race.
The popular belief earlier this summer was that left-hander Tarik Skubal would be traded to a contending team, but now that Detroit is back in the race, that may be a little harder to do now. Detroit is playing solid baseball and could easily capture a wild card spot or even the AL Central.
Detroit could get a lot for Skubal, but Bob Nightengale of USA Today notes that there could be an obstacle in the way.
“Skubal has informed friends that he badly wants to stay in Detroit the rest of the season, believing they have a legitimate shot at the World Series, and has zero appetite to be traded,” Nightengale wrote.
Detroit Tigers Facing Potential Obstacle in Tarik Skubal Trade Sweepstakes
Now, it is important to remember that Skubal does not have a no-trade clause and cannot veto a trade. However, as long as the Tigers are in the race, perhaps it makes sense to hold onto the back-to-back American League Cy Young winner.
Skubal missed time due to an elbow injury, but ultimately made his way back from the injured list quickly. In 13 starts this season, the 29-year-old left-hander is 5-5 with a 3.09 ERA and has struck out 89 batters over 75 2/3 innings of work.
As long as the Tigers are in the race, Skubal can be of value to them. They have him and Framber Valdez at the top of their rotation, and as long as both pitchers are still around, they could find a way to get into the playoffs, especially with the American League being as weak as it is this year. The wild card race is wide open.
If Skubal wants to stay as well, then the Tigers may decide to keep him around for one last run and see if they can sneak into the wild card series or potentially even chase down first place in the AL Central. There is a lot for the Tigers to consider as the deadline approaches. They have a chance to cash in on his value, but they also still have a shot at making the postseason for a third straight year, so it will be interesting to see how it all plays out.
Detroit Tigers Risk Making Grave Tarik Skubal Mistake
Of course, there is a downside to this as well. Back in 2023, the Los Angeles Angels held onto Shohei Ohtani in hopes of making one last run despite getting good trade offers for him.
If the Tigers fall out of contention again or don’t make it to the playoffs, they may miss a golden opportunity to pick up some real assets for him. That is what happened with the Angels and Ohtani.
So, if they are going to hold onto Skubal, the Tigers will need to make sure they feel very confident about their chances to win a World Series title and potentially add some big pieces instead of selling.
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