Detroit — Scott Harris said he waited as long as he could, down to the final week, even to the final home game. The Tigers’ president of baseball operations was riding the choppy wave all season, just like everyone else. Right or not, fair or not, the Tigers had to be all in, or all out.
He chose out for now, in for later. Unfortunately, it was the only rational option.
After the Tigers traded Tarik Skubal, the next ticket was Casey Mize, and he was dealt at Monday’s deadline to the Padres. There was no hedge, although a hedge would’ve helped this season. Harris didn’t add a bat, or an arm, with the Tigers only 2.5 games out of a playoff spot but trailing five teams. Experts who chart minor-league prospects gave Harris mixed marks, and some praised the haul considering both Skubal and Mize were pending free agents, essentially rentals.
No one likes to sell before a season is officially lost. Harris said he hates doing it, and I assume many fans hate seeing it. Without a clear-cut direction, he was in a vexing no-win situation. Those final rough games of the last homestand, losing four of five to the Angels and Orioles, pretty much settled it. The 10-9 loss to Baltimore last Wednesday, when Skubal departed with a 7-1 lead and the bullpen gave it away, was the de-facto clincher.
“I didn’t formally make the decision until after the Baltimore series,” Harris said Monday night. “We wanted to give this team every opportunity to make a really compelling case that we shouldn’t (sell). And we just didn’t make the case to justify it. It’s not on the players, it’s not on the coaches, it’s on me.”
These indeed are the momentous decisions that define a baseball executive, and I think Harris weathered it, and should emerge with an increased chance at future success. Some fans will rightly complain, after the Tigers (54-58) won three straight against the woeful Athletics. When teams have a chance to go for it, they go for it, right?
That’s always the preference, but this is as unusual and difficult a situation as a team could face. With the prospect of losing elite talent for nothing, Harris had to mine for other prospects. He said he was assessing all season, and in the end, with a sinking bullpen, was uncomfortable with the uncertainty.
No one is required to celebrate what the Tigers did, dealing their top two pitchers for five total prospects, including two from the talent-rich Dodgers — outfielder Zyhir Hope and pitcher River Ryan — who are ranked among the elite in baseball. But it helps to understand it, knowing Skubal’s long-standing intent to head to free-agency with budget-busting agent Scott Boras. Harris pretty much knew it two years ago, when negotiations ended abruptly and never resumed. I also think some fans were ready to move on from the Skubal drama.
The trade might have happened sooner, except AJ Hinch and the Tigers kept buying time. They snuck into the playoffs in 2024 after a historic rally and made it again in 2025. This was supposed to be the year for the big leap, but quickly took a hit during an injury-wracked May, when they went 6-22.
“We didn’t go into this season intending to trade Tarik Skubal,” Harris said. “If anything, it was the opposite. We had opportunities to trade him (in the past) and chose not to, trying to win a World Series. …. I hate selling with every fiber of my body. But the situation we found ourselves in, I thought it would be irresponsible not to do it. I didn’t feel it was in the best interest of the organization to intentionally pass on injecting the level and volume of young talent.”
Getting two top-100 prospects (Hope and Ryan) for a rental was virtually unprecedented in baseball history. For Mize, 29, the Tigers added intriguing 21-year-old left-hander Kash Mayfield, San Diego’s No. 1 pick two years ago. If you’re scoring at home, the Tigers brought in Hope and Kash, although they swear they’re not cashing in hope.
Rookie Kevin McGonigle has been an instant hit. Top prospect Max Clark has excelled since being promoted. Jackson Jobe is working his way back and could be impactful in the bullpen. The Tigers plan to bring up other young arms and bats.
“This season is not over,” Harris said. “We still have a lot of the same players that in 2024 completely flipped the script. Am I saying we’re definitely going to make the playoffs? No, I’m not saying that at all. I’m saying we’re not raising the white flag. Internal additions have made us more athletic, and more players are coming. Did I make it a little bit harder this week? Yeah, I did. That’s a hard decision you have to make.”
Before this deadline, the Tigers actually were in better position, talent-wise and record-wise, than in 2024. Back then, they also sold, and defied a 0.2% chance to make the playoffs. As of Monday, their playoff chances, according to FanGraphs, were 21.9%.
Harris defended his decisions, and as always, validation will only come if the prospects develop. But make no mistake, the Tigers are better equipped for an uncertain future, especially after the expected MLB work stoppage.
They’ve restocked talent in the majors and minors, and have shown an ability to develop it. I think the stock in Harris’ regime has gone up, or will go up eventually. For now, he must wear the season’s disappointment and endure the criticism.
Conflicting opinions abound. I’ve seen analysts grade the Tigers’ deadline haul anywhere from an “A” (for the Mize deal), to a “D” for not getting one of the Dodgers’ top four prospects (Hope ranks fifth). As always, there are shades of truth, because there are shades of evaluations. For instance, Hope might instantly become the Tigers’ No. 1 prospect, with Ryan not far behind.
Harris knew he was under intense scrutiny and admitted he felt it. He noted that 35 of the Tigers’ 40-man roster hit the injured list at some point. He tried not to frame it as an excuse but it does help explain, as Skubal was out all of May when the Tigers fell apart.
“Ultimately the blame lies with me,” Harris said. “I should’ve built more depth, I should’ve found ways to keep players healthier. I promise you I’ve lost a lot of sleep thinking about it, coming up with concrete takeaways that I can use in making sure this season doesn’t happen again.”
One thing he won’t lose sleep over is the debate about the timing of the trades. The Skubal deal went down Saturday night, nearly two full days before the deadline. At least two other contenders — Milwaukee and Tampa Bay — reportedly were deeply interested and gave their final offers. Harris said some were tempting but the Dodgers had more prime talent than anyone.
He’d waited so long, he couldn’t wait another day or two to see if a bidding war ensued? Harris responded with a flash of irritation.
“There was a bidding war, a lot of organizations were involved, and there wasn’t any need to stretch it further,” Harris said. “Respectfully, the notion we should’ve waited 24, 48 hours and extracted more value, that’s garbage. The organizations involved were extremely aggressive with their offers, and we chose the best one.”
Before he could make the best deal, he had to make the tough choice to sell. Tempting to go for it? Sure. Worth the risk of keeping Skubal and Mize and not making it? Probably not. The Tigers have gone farther than expected before, but this time, the stakes were much higher.
Bob.wojnowski@detroitnews.com
@bobwojnowski
This article originally appeared on The Detroit News: Wojo: Tigers’ Scott Harris sells Skubal and Mize, a painful, sensible sacrifice
Reporting by Bob Wojnowski, The Detroit News / The Detroit News
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By Bob Wojnowski, The Detroit News | USA TODAY Network
