The Detroit Tigers have a problem most teams would envy. They also have a problem most small-market teams dread.
Tarik Skubal is really good. And the trade deadline is almost here. That leaves president of baseball operations Scott Harris with a choice that feels a lot bigger than just one pitcher.
Ken Rosenthal laid it out bluntly on the Starkville podcast this week. According to Rosenthal, it all depends on how Harris sees this roster. Does he think the Tigers are close? Or does he see a team that still needs to take a step back before it can move forward?
“If you feel like your team is not quite there, then you have to make a hard call perhaps and do what’s best for the organization long-term,” Rosenthal said. “This is about winning.”
That’s the kind of quote that sticks with you. Because it’s true. And it’s uncomfortable.
The health question nobody can ignore
Skubal hasn’t been healthy all year. He dealt with an elbow injury that cost him several weeks. When he’s on the mound, he’s looked like an ace — a 3.06 ERA and five wins despite the missed time. But elbow issues in a pitcher are never a small thing. Every team that calls about him will want to see the medicals before they talk prospects.
The Athletic’s Cody Stavenhagen made a point that’s hard to argue with. If the Tigers were going to trade Skubal and reshape the roster, last offseason was the time. They didn’t. They kept him and pushed their chips in. So what changed?
“Why exactly should that calculus change now?” Stavenhagen wrote.
It’s a fair question. The Tigers are 44-50 and sitting fourth in the AL Central. That’s not exactly a contender. But here’s the weird part — they’ve been on a heater lately, winning nine of their last 10. That kind of run can mess with a front office’s head. Suddenly a team that looked like sellers looks like they might be something else.
The clock is ticking
The trade deadline is August 3. That’s not a lot of time for Harris to decide whether Skubal is a building block or a trade chip.
Every big-market team with postseason hopes is going to call. The Dodgers. The Yankees. The Braves. Any of them would love a lefty with Skubal’s stuff, even with the injury history. And Detroit could get a haul. A real haul. The kind that restocks a farm system for years.
But trading your homegrown ace when he’s under team control and finally healthy is not an easy decision. It’s the kind of move that haunts you if it backfires.
The Tigers play the Phillies on Saturday. Skubal is not scheduled to pitch that game as of now. But every start he makes between now and the deadline will be watched closer than any start he’s made before. Because one bad outing or one tweaked elbow could change everything. And one dominant start could make the phone ring even more.
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