The Detroit Tigers’ stance on Tarik Skubal looks a lot clearer now, and the Jake Rogers DFA was the first loud clue. Moving on from Skubal’s preferred catcher felt like a signal that the two-time AL Cy Young winner could be headed elsewhere, and the chatter has only grown since then.
The current belief around the league is that Skubal will be dealt by Aug. 3.
If that happens, ESPN’s Jeff Passan has the Los Angeles Dodgers as the team to watch. That tracks with how the Dodgers have hovered around this market all year, even if Skubal often seemed more like a luxury piece than a must-have.
The picture has changed. Shohei Ohtani’s left knee and right bicep are both an issue, which has pushed him out of the rotation for now and made his return to pitching uncertain.
On top of that, Los Angeles is leaning on injury-prone arms like Blake Snell and Tyler Glasnow, two pitchers who simply can’t be counted on every turn.
That kind of pressure should change the price. If the Dodgers want Skubal badly enough now, the Tigers need to make them pay.
Detroit’s promotion of Max Clark also says plenty about where Scott Harris sees the season going. The Tigers are looking ahead, but they are not completely mailing in 2025.
Even after some recent losses, they were still just 4.5 games out of the final wild card spot entering action on July 31. So if Detroit wants to keep one eye on the race while also building toward 2027, the return for Skubal has to be heavy.
The package that should do it starts with Justin Wrobleski. Los Angeles may prefer to sell Emmet Sheehan as the controllable starter, but Wrobleski is the arm Detroit should insist on.
He has put together a 2.88 ERA over 112 2/3 innings and brings real upside, even if he is not Skubal’s equal. More importantly for the Tigers, he would slot into the rotation right away and is under team control through 2032.
Edgardo Henriquez should be next in the deal. The reliever brings pure heat, averaging 100.6 miles per hour on his fastball, and he has backed it up with a 2.81 ERA in 41 2/3 innings. He could give Detroit’s bullpen a different gear, and he comes with control through the 2031 season.
The headline prospect in the return would be Mike Sirota, Los Angeles’s No. 2 prospect. The 23-year-old has made a real name for himself with a scorching run that included reaching base in 72 straight games earlier this season. He is hitting .325/.474/.566 on the year, mostly at Double-A, and while he is not ready yet, he could arrive in 2027 and fit alongside Kevin McGonigle and Clark as part of a dangerous offensive group.
Ryan Ward would round out the haul. The 28-year-old slugged 36 home runs to win Pacific Coast League MVP last season, and he has already shown some of that pop with the Dodgers this year.
In 60 plate appearances, he hit three homers and posted a .218/.283/.455 line. His left-handed power bat could resemble a Kerry Carpenter clone, for better or worse.
That would be the kind of return that makes sense for both clubs. The Dodgers would land one of the best pitchers in the sport as they chase a three-peat, and the Tigers would come away with two big leaguers who can help now and later, a high-end prospect with star potential, and a useful platoon bat.
If Los Angeles wants Skubal, that’s the price. Anything less, and Scott Harris should walk away.
In Other News...
Former Tiger Jake Rogers Lands In A Deadline Twist Fans Will Feel
Jake Rogers deadline day turned into a whirlwind, and for Tigers fans, it was a reminder of how fast baseball can move. After spending several seasons in Detroit, the catcher was dealt to the Baltimore Orioles and then quickly flipped to the Boston Red Sox in the same sequence of moves tied to a larger deal centered on Adley Rutschman.
Now Rogers lands in a situation where his role could be far more immediate than anyone expected when the day began. With Rutschman currently on the injured list, the former Tiger is in position to help Boston right away, giving his new club a short-term answer while leaving Detroit followers to track one more familiar name in a very different setting. [Read more 🡒]
Casey Mize Just Became A Tougher Tigers Deadline Call
The pitching market keeps narrowing, and that matters for the Tigers as the deadline approaches. Toronto just added starter Jos Soriano from the Angels in a deal that sent shortstop prospect Arjun Nimmala, outfielder Eddie Micheletti and right-hander Angel Rivero back the other way, another notable move after the Blue Jays had already dealt Kevin Gausman to the Cubs. For Detroit, every starting arm coming off the board changes the backdrop around a roster that is still trying to decide how aggressive it wants to be.
Casey Mize sits right in the middle of that conversation. There has been speculation that the Tigers could move the right-hander, and interest around him has been building as clubs hunt for rotation help. With one more name gone and the supply shrinking, Detroits choice gets tougher by the day: hold onto a pitcher it still values, or see whether the market gets strong enough to justify listening. [Read more 🡒]
Astros Suddenly Have One Deadline Need They Can't Ignore
Casey Mizes name is back in the rumor mill at the exact moment the Tigers are trying to keep their division lead steady, and now his next start has been scratched as a precaution. The timing only adds to the sense that Detroit could be weighing a bigger-picture decision with a pitcher who is nearing free agency, even if the Tigers would prefer the focus stay on the pennant race rather than the deadline.
Houston has emerged as one of the clubs watching closely because of its rotation injuries, and that need is hard to miss with the deadline approaching. For the Tigers, the question is whether holding onto Mize for a run at October is worth more than the kind of prospect package a contending club might be willing to put on the table, which is exactly the sort of call front offices hate making when the standings say one thing and the long view says another. [Read more 🡒]