Scott Harris didn’t sugarcoat the deadline decision that sent Tarik Skubal and Casey Mize out of Detroit.
The Tigers president said Tuesday night that the stretch leading into baseball’s Aug. 3 trade deadline was miserable, because he knew he was staring at the possibility of moving two pitchers who had become central figures in the rotation.
“Honestly, I hated the last 10 days,” Harris said in the broadcast booth on Detroit SportsNet during the Tigers’ first game of a key series with the Cleveland Guardians at Comerica Park. “We dug ourselves a pretty deep hole in May.
We found ourselves with a pretty difficult hand to play at the deadline, and you never want to be in a situation in my chair where you have to trade Tarik Skubal and Casey Mize. I really felt that, but heading into that deadline, given how we were playing, given the hole that we dug for ourselves, I just couldn't really pass on the opportunity to inject that much potential impact young talent into this organization.”
Detroit entered that deadline at 52-58, and Harris followed through by sending Skubal to the Los Angeles Dodgers for three prospects, including outfielder Zyhir Hope, a top-100 prospect now at Double-A Erie. Two days later, he shipped Mize to the San Diego Padres for two pitchers, including left-hander Kash Mayfield, who is at High-A West Michigan.
Skubal and Mize are both free agents after the season.
Even with those deals, Harris did not tear the roster down completely. He held onto several players on expiring contracts who had drawn trade interest, including second baseman Gleyber Torres, relievers Kenley Jansen and Kyle Finnegan, and starter Jack Flaherty.
Then came the part that made the deadline feel less final than it looked.
The Tigers went 7-2 on the West Coast trip that wrapped around the deadline, climbing back to two games under .500 at 58-60 for the first time since May 6. They entered Tuesday one game out of a wild-card spot and in second place in the American League Central, 3 1/2 games behind the first-place Chicago White Sox. Detroit also moved ahead of Cleveland.
This week brings six games against the Guardians and White Sox, making it the biggest homestand of the season for the Tigers.
“There's a lot to like about this team right now,” Harris said. “Trying to hold those two thoughts in my head (selling Skubal and Mize vs. not giving up on the season), it was a really difficult decision, but, you know, we're not conceding anything down the stretch.
“We got a real chance in this thing.”
The turnaround has been real. Detroit went 6-22 in May and fell 16 games under .500 at 22-38, but since June 1 the Tigers have posted the second-best record in the American League, trailing only the Boston Red Sox.
Harris said the tipping point came after the July 29 loss to the Baltimore Orioles at Comerica Park. In that game, Skubal’s final appearance as a Tiger, Detroit led 7-0 before losing in extra innings and dropping to 51-58, six games behind in the division. It was the Tigers’ fourth loss in five games to end the homestand.
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