Detroit — It stinks for Tigers fans. It stinks for the rest of baseball, forced to watch the Dodgers gorge themselves, helping push the game toward a work stoppage. It stinks that Tarik Skubal is taking his marvelous left arm to the West Coast, but there was no stopping it.
The Tigers traded their two-time Cy Young winner late Saturday to Los Angeles for a trio of prospects, only one ranked in baseball’s top 25. As the blockbuster deal unfolded, the Tigers were wrapping up an 8-6 victory over the Athletics in Sacramento, lifted by their dynamic young stars, Kevin McGonigle and Max Clark. Everyone knew it was coming, yet it still was staggering that the best pitcher on the planet was on the move.
This is the state of baseball, and frankly, Tigers president Scott Harris was never going to win this trade, not when losing a potential Hall-of-Famer in his prime. Harris did about what was realistic, plucking three prospects from L.A.’s rich farm system, including No. 5-ranked Zyhir Hope (25th overall in baseball) and No. 7 pitcher River Ryan (68th overall). Brady Smith, 21, is a less-touted pitcher with notable upside.
Some observers dreamed of an enormous bounty for Skubal, 29, and that didn’t happen. The reality is, two contenders with the most incentive to bid — Milwaukee and Tampa Bay — are small-market clubs with limitations. Skubal is a pending free agent, which diminished his value and surely dampened the bidding. The Dodgers, with their astounding $420-million payroll, always were the most likely to pay the price for a rental, in their quest for a third straight World Series championship, unprecedented in National League history.
During the late innings Saturday night, word spread that one of the biggest in-season trades in MLB history was being finalized. After the game, Skubal got slightly emotional, talking about a season that turned suddenly sour, after the Tigers came in with World Series ambitions.
“It’s crazy,” Skubal said. “Going into the season, this wasn’t what I planned on doing. But circumstances change, situations change. I’m very appreciative of everything the Tigers have done for me. … Something I’ll never take for granted, the fans’ support of me and my family. It means a lot more than they probably get credit for.”
Skubal and his agent, Scott Boras, never said they’d commit to Detroit beyond this season, and it’s unclear if the Tigers ever made a competitive offer. Skubal repeatedly said he didn’t want to be traded, but that’s one issue he couldn’t control. When he hits the open market after the season, whatever is left of baseball’s economic structure likely will be shaken again.
This rollicking season looks over for the Tigers, although not completely. They’ve pulled within 3.5 games of a wild-card playoff spot. In normal circumstances, management absolutely should be compelled to go for it, just get in the playoffs and unleash Skubal and their strong staff. In this circumstance, with Skubal and Boras seemingly intent on breaking all contract barriers, it would’ve been irresponsible for Harris to let his star leave for nothing except a compensatory draft pick.
It still might be entertaining to see what the Tigers (54-58) can do the rest of the season, after posting one of the best records in baseball since June 1 (32-20). Of course it would’ve been more compelling if they still had the top pitcher in the league. It also would’ve helped if they’d received major-league-ready talent from the Dodgers.
Casey Mize, another pending free agent, also could be dealt by Monday’s deadline. If that’s distressing to players and management, well, they had their chances — lots of them — to make a stronger case to go for it. They brought this fate upon themselves, doomed by their 6-22 record in May, a product of injuries and awful play in general.
Skubal’s farewell was a nod and a tip of the cap as he left the mound last Wednesday in Comerica Park with the Tigers leading the Orioles 7-1. Symbolically, they fell apart as soon as he departed and lost, 10-9 in 12 innings. That felt like the final verdict, with the deadline looming.
It took a while — too long, as it turns out — but the Tigers have scrapped back, and could yet craft an improbable run in the weak A.L., trailing the first-place White Sox in the Central by only five games. It depends on what Harris opts to do with his other pending free agents — Mize, Gleyber Torres, Kenley Jansen — and whether he and AJ Hinch can pick up the pieces of their shattered bullpen. They scratched Mize from his scheduled start two days ago, and his fate might ultimately seal this team’s fate.
The best new hope for the Tigers? For the future, that would be the 5-10, 193-pound Hope. He’s the gem of the deal for the Tigers, a touted 21-year-old outfielder with power and speed. I don’t pretend to know the intricacies of the Dodgers’ farm system, but based on baseball’s talent evaluators, the Tigers earned solid marks for extracting what they could.
This season’s direction always was going to be determined by Skubal — whether to be bold and go for it, or be prudent and cash out with a trade. In my mind, Harris and owner Chris Ilitch didn’t have much choice but to trade him, against the backdrop of an expiring collective bargaining agreement and what’s expected to be a protracted battle between players and owners.
Until then, Skubal will head to L.A., adding to their abomination of riches. The Dodgers still have their championship rotation, but it’s been weakened by injuries to Blake Snell and Tyler Glasnow. Superstar Shohei Ohtani also has missed starts, and that uncertainty lingers.
So the Dodgers purchased some certainty in Skubal, making them even more of a gluttonous favorite. After squeezing back tears talking about the friends and teammates he was leaving, Skubal looked to what’s ahead.
“I’m excited to be a Dodger, excited to get down there and chase three championships in a row,” Skubal said. “A lot of different emotions. Kind of a rollercoaster a little bit.”
It was a wild ride all right, from the peak of playoff victories and reaching the ALDS, to the elbow injury that sidelined him early this season, to the disastrous plummet that ensued. Now Skubal gets to hop aboard the L.A. gravy train, just as most people expected. The Tigers get to move forward with less star power, more youth, and a renewed incentive not to waste time and talent.
Bob.wojnowski@detroitnews.com
@bobwojnowski
This article originally appeared on The Detroit News: Wojo: Tigers had to deal Tarik Skubal, and the reality stinks
Reporting by Bob Wojnowski, The Detroit News / The Detroit News
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By Bob Wojnowski, The Detroit News | USA TODAY Network
