The Braves may be chasing Tarik Skubal, but the Tigers are giving every sign that they’re not ready to listen.
Detroit was buried a month ago, sitting with the worst record in baseball. Since then, the script has flipped.
The Tigers have gone 22-14 over their last 36 games, the best stretch in the American League, and they’ve dragged themselves back into the conversation. They’re still eight games under .500, but they’re only 3.5 games out of the Wild Card race and 6.5 games back in a weak division.
That’s exactly why Ken Rosenthal poured a little cold water on the idea that Skubal is available. On his latest episode of Foul Territory, Rosenthal said the Tigers have too much still in front of them to treat the deadline like a sell-off.
“So, if you’re the Tigers - yeah, you’re eight games under .500, but you’re 3.5 games out in the Wild Card race, only 6.5 games out in a weak division, you certainly have a chance,” Rosenthal said. “You’ve got a chance because Skubal is healthy. Other players are healthy as well, and you’re in a weak division in a weak league.
“So, a lot depends not just for the Tigers but for all teams on what happens in the next two-and-a-half weeks. It’s almost going to be like a pennant race of its own because we’re going to see teams trying to define themselves.
And it just seems to me unless the Tigers outright collapse, that they’re going to be inclined to keep Skubal and go for it. And why not?”
That’s the key point here: Detroit didn’t climb back into the mix just to turn around and move its best arm for a package that looks better on paper than in the standings. The Tigers have a real shot to win the division, and with the American League so bunched up, they can look at Skubal as the kind of pitcher who keeps a run alive instead of one who gets dealt away.
Skubal has been tied to the Braves by multiple MLB insiders ahead of the deadline, and Bob Nightengale even reported that Atlanta should be considered the favorite to land him. But Rosenthal’s read cuts against that buzz. Unless Detroit falls apart over the next two weeks, the safer bet is that the Tigers keep Skubal and stay in the fight.
For now, the deadline chatter is running into a team that suddenly has no reason to wave the white flag.
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