Detroit’s ace remains loyal despite trade rumors, but the team's postseason longshots force a difficult choice: keep the world's best pitcher or harvest a haul of prospects.
The MLB Trade Deadline is just three weeks away, and with it comes a constant overabundance of articles, rumors, opinions and endless debate surrounding the No. 1 trade candidate in baseball, Tarik Skubal. So, here's another piece to add to the already oversaturated conversation.
The question is simple: Do Detroit Tigers fans want Tarik Skubal through the end of the season?
At first glance, it feels like a no-brainer no matter how you look at it.
Skubal is, quite simply, the best pitcher on the planet. He has dominated Major League Baseball for more than two years now, and even after undergoing elbow surgery earlier this season, he's returned looking every bit as dominant as before.
He instantly makes any team a legitimate World Series contender, and that even includes a Detroit Tigers team that enters the All-Star break eight games below .500.
Skubal has openly admitted that he doesn't want to leave Detroit this season. He believes this team can win the World Series, and he's made it clear that he's fully invested in helping this organization make a postseason run.
So why wouldn't you want a player who immediately elevates your team and gives everyone in the clubhouse the belief they can beat anyone? Every fifth day, the Tigers take the field knowing they have the best pitcher in baseball on the mound, and that confidence is contagious.
In many ways, the entire team has played with that confidence since June 1. Since then, the Tigers own the best record in Major League Baseball. Unfortunately, the damage had already been done after an awful first two months left Detroit 11 games under .500. Even with baseball's best record over the last six weeks, the Tigers have spent most of the summer simply trying to climb out of that early-season hole.
Still, despite sitting fourth in the five-team American League Central, Detroit is only 4.5 games behind the final Wild Card spot with 66 games remaining. It's far from unrealistic to think the Tigers can still reach the postseason, and with a rotation featuring Skubal, they would have a legitimate chance to compete in any playoff series.
The problem is everything around him.
The offense has been a Jekyll-and-Hyde act all season, while the bullpen has repeatedly let games slip away. Those two weaknesses have consistently overshadowed one of the best starting rotations in baseball and could ultimately be what brings Detroit's season to an end.
If that's the likely outcome, then maybe trading Skubal isn't as crazy as it sounds.
Even though Skubal has repeatedly stated he wants to stay, is the best move for Detroit to trade its ace and two-time Cy Young Award winner while his value has never been higher? Could the Tigers cash in for a haul of prospects that helps them build a stronger long-term contender?
Teams like the Dodgers will almost certainly be willing to pay a premium for even a two-month rental. However, without a contract extension already in place, the Tigers may receive less than many fans expect. Any acquiring team would still have to convince Skubal to sign long-term, meaning they would essentially be paying for one postseason run before entering the same offseason bidding war as everyone else.
That's what makes this decision so fascinating.
Do fans want to sacrifice a potential playoff run this season in exchange for prospects who they hope become everyday Major League players? Or would they rather hold onto Skubal, follow his belief that this team can make a run, and give Detroit its best chance to end a 42-year World Series drought?
Judging by social media, many fans seem to lean toward the former. The belief surrounding this team has grown rapidly over the last month, but some wonder if that's simply recency bias. Despite an impressive stretch of baseball, the Tigers entered the All-Star break by dropping two straight games and losing the series to a very good Philadelphia Phillies team. To many, that series only reinforced the idea that Detroit still isn't built to win right now.
One of those losses came with Skubal on the mound. He was pulled after just 5.1 innings and 93 pitches, raising questions about whether there was concern surrounding his workload or if A.J. Hinch simply believed Keider Montero could finish the job. That decision backfired, adding another questionable managerial move to what has been an up-and-down season for Hinch.
The Tigers find themselves in a difficult position, and president of baseball operations Scott Harris has one of the biggest decisions of his tenure approaching. Whatever move he makes will shape the direction of this franchise for years to come.
The real question is whether what's best for the organization is also what Tigers fans truly want.
Only time will tell.
