Tarik Skubal’s name is sitting right at the center of the trade deadline conversation, and that reality has made every start feel heavier for the Tigers. Detroit is being labeled a buyer, Skubal’s value is soaring, and there’s a real chance the left-hander could have already made his final appearance in a Tigers uniform.
That possibility hit home before his start against the Baltimore Orioles at Comerica Park, when Casey Mize talked about what Skubal has meant to him.
“I’ve enjoyed every second of being Tarik’s teammate. He’s such a good player and a great person and my best friend.
It’s sad to think it would be coming to an end. I’m hoping that’s not the case.”
Skubal has made it clear he wants to stay in Detroit, and it’s not hard to understand why. The Tigers drafted him in the ninth round in 2018, he debuted in 2020, and he has grown into the kind of ace every front office dreams of building around. He and the Tigers have come up just short of the ALCS in each of the past two seasons, and now the back-to-back Cy Young winner finds himself at the center of a deadline decision that could reshape the roster.
If this was the end, it was a fittingly dominant one.
Skubal entered the game needing one strikeout to reach 1,000 for his career, and he got there quickly. Taylor Ward led off the game, fell behind 2-0, and still ended up being the one who watched history happen.
Skubal battled back to a full count, beat him with a fastball for strike two, then finished him with a changeup for strikeout No. 1,000.
He became the 17th pitcher in Tigers history to hit that mark.
He also did it faster than any Tigers pitcher before him, reaching 1,000 career strikeouts in the fewest innings pitched.
From there, the outing kept rolling. Skubal finished his day in the seventh inning with six strikeouts, one hit, one walk and one run. It was the kind of line that only adds more pressure to any trade decision, because a pitcher this good doesn’t stay out of the conversation for long.
If the Tigers do move him, they’ll get a major return. The club needs relief help, but that doesn’t make the idea of Skubal wearing another uniform in October any easier to stomach - especially for Mize.
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