River Ryan’s three scoreless innings on Monday gave Tigers fans something to cling to, even if it came with the kind of long view that makes a trade feel less like a disaster and more like a maybe. He used all six of his pitches, while Zyhir Hope has started to shake off the funk he showed when he first arrived in Erie.
That’s the thin thread Detroit is holding onto after dealing Tarik Skubal: the possibility that, somewhere down the line, this trade might not look so brutal. Skubal is headed for free agency and is expected to go early, likely at $400 million or more.
The odds that Ryan or Hope become stars on Skubal’s level are tiny. Still, there’s at least a world in which the Tigers look back on the deal in a few years and only feel a little sting.
Jim Bowden clearly doesn’t see it that way, or at least didn’t bother sounding like someone who understood what Tigers fans are already wrestling with.
“Tigers fans will be really happy having 6 years of Zyhir Hope rather than the last two months of Tarik Skubal with a team that wasnt good enough to win. Btw they could also try to resign Skubal in free agency. https://t.co/KRHMWyibE1”
Bowden had been pushing the idea that Detroit would trade Skubal long before the deadline. He seemed convinced he’d be proven right as soon as the Tigers’ 2025 postseason ended. So when he fired off that post, it landed with a heavy dose of smugness - the kind fans usually can’t stand.
And the suggestion that the Tigers might simply re-sign Skubal? That’s where the whole thing really falls apart.
As a former GM, Bowden should be closer to the realities of the current game than his comments suggest. He once ran the Reds and Nationals, but in this case he comes off more like a messenger for the bigger-market clubs. His offseason Skubal chatter had all the hallmarks of someone hoping to see the lefty land with the Dodgers or Mets.
Bowden may well be right that Hope can become, at minimum, a solid everyday player for Detroit. And yes, it’s true the Tigers weren’t “good enough to win” this season. But that still doesn’t make him the person Tigers fans want hearing it from.
Detroit isn’t going to re-sign Skubal, and it probably won’t even be in the mix for him. So Bowden’s little victory lap, aimed at a fanbase already dealing with the end of its season, is not exactly the way to win anyone over.
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Kerry Carpenter's Tigers Future Suddenly Looks Far Less Secure
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AJ Hinch has left the door open for Carpenter to win back an everyday job when he is healthy in 2027, but nothing about that path looks guaranteed right now. The Tigers are treating him more like a platoon bat at the moment, and his ability to stick will depend on more than offense alone, with his defense, versatility and how he handles competition from other players all part of the equation. [Read more 🡒]