Tarik Skubal had plenty to say in the middle of the Dodgers’ NLDS celebration, even if the clubhouse chaos made it feel like he was answering from inside a car wash.
AM 570 LA Sports’ David Vassegh caught up with the former Tiger as Los Angeles sprayed champagne and beer in the visiting clubhouse after clinching the series. Vassegh managed to squeeze in one question: " How much does this team mean to you?"
Skubal’s answer made the appeal pretty clear.
"It's a great team. I think the culture that they have here, the preparation, the expectation to win.
I love being a part of it," Skubal said. "Winning is everything in sports.
That's why you play the game, to win. And if you're not playing the game to win, then I don't relate with you, so I'm excited to be a part of it.
I don't know when the next one for me will be, but I'm excited to take the mound."
That was the moment, at least to anyone reading between the lines, that the Dodgers’ pull on Skubal looked as strong as ever. He’s already made it known he enjoys being in Los Angeles, and the feeling appears mutual.
After the trade, he went through a respectful mourning period and even got emotional in his first interview in LA. He also said he hoped the Tigers would be involved in his free agency.
Still, the picture here is being painted in broad strokes: the Dodgers are the obvious destination. Sure, Skubal could listen to the Mets, the Yankees or maybe even the Phillies. But the idea that Detroit is a real threat to land him, even with ESPN insiders calling the Tigers a "true contender," is being treated like more wishful thinking than reality.
Skubal, likely with some guidance from Scott Boras, can keep saying "we'll see what happens" for now. That part is easy. The harder part for Tigers fans is the ending everyone seems to see coming: a return to the Dodgers, followed by the kind of quote that writes itself - something along the lines of "I always knew I wanted to come back here."
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