Tigers ‘Never Came Close’ to Trading Ace Tarik Skubal
One of the biggest questions leading up to the July 30th trade deadline was whether the Detroit Tigers would move Tarik Skubal, whose name generated plenty of buzz prior to 6 p.m. ET on Tuesday.
The 27-year-old lefty, who most experts consider a front-runner for this year’s AL Cy Young Award, would’ve immediately transformed any contender’s pitching staff while netting the Tigers a substantial return. Those with the resources to pull off such a deal likely included the Baltimore Orioles, New York Yankees and Los Angeles Dodgers.
But Skubal ultimately stayed put as Tuesday’s deadline passed, with the Tigers dismissing any belief that a realistic chance of him being dealt existed.
“Not close,” Tigers president of baseball operations Scott Harris said Tuesday about trade speculation involving the club’s ace starting pitcher. “There were a lot of rumours that floated out there. There are a lot of ’unconfirmed reports’ that are just totally inaccurate. We never came close to trading Skubal.”
Skubal, a free agent after 2026, has dominated in 21 starts for the Tigers this season. He leads all qualified major-league starters in ERA (2.35) while ranking third in FIP (2.58), fifth in fWAR (3.8), sixth in strikeout rate (30%) and eighth in OPP AVG (.198).
Additionally, the ninth-round selection from 2018 sits in the 90th percentile or higher of the majors in xERA (2.74), average fastball velocity (96.7 mph), whiff rate (32%), walk rate (4.7%) and hard-hit rate against (32.2%).
The fact that Skubal has yet to receive a contract extension is undoubtedly among the reasons he was repeatedly brought up in trade circles last month. If no extension is reached, teams will likely inquire about his availability again this winter.
Unless the Tigers’ stance changes, they appear determined to build around the 2024 All-Star hurler, who figures to be a pillar of their starting rotation for many years to come.
Detroit was, however, fairly active in the trade market elsewhere as the front office parted ways with starter Jack Flaherty, reliever Andrew Chafin, outfielder Mark Canha and catcher Carson Kelly – all pending free agents. They received seven players in return, including Thayron Liranzo, Trey Sweeney and Eric Silva – a trio that now resides within the organization’s top 30 prospects list per MLB Pipeline.
The Tigers are a tad short on starting pitchers after trading Flaherty to the Dodgers, especially with Reese Olson and Casey Mize on the IL. That will likely necessitate Kenta Maeda’s return to the rotation after his last three appearances came out of the bullpen.
Bryan Sammons and Keider Montero will surely be needed to remain with the big-league club to help cover innings. As the only Triple-A starter on Detroit’s 40-man roster, Matt Manning could become an option once he returns from a lat strain. In the meantime, there may be opportunities for prospects Ty Madden and Brant Hurter.
Skubal will make his 22nd start of the season Friday against the Kansas City Royals, facing fellow ace Cole Ragans in what should be a highly competitive pitching duel between two of the American League’s most highly-touted arms.
-Thomas Hall
Twitter: @Hall_Thomas_
Photo: MJCDetroit. This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license.