Will Detroit Tigers Regret Not Trading Ace at MLB Trade Deadline Despite Speculation?
The Detroit Tigers had a lot of eyes on them at the MLB trade deadline, but ultimately decided against any major trades. Was that the right choice?
Zach Pressnell of FanSided certainly didn't think so, as he listed Tarik Skubal as one the player that the Tigers 'should've traded but didn't.'
"Yes, trading Skubal would have made sense. [Detroit] could have gotten a franchise changing haul from the [Baltimore] Orioles or the [Los Angeles] Dodgers," said Pressnell. "Plus, the Tigers likely won't compete while he's under contract, so they would have been better off netting a haul of [Samuel] Basallo, [Coby] Mayo, [Connor] Norby and more from the Orioles."
The Detroit ace has been one of the best pitchers in all of baseball for the past two seasons.
He made his first ever All-Star team in 2024 with his best year yet.
Across 23 games this campaign, he has a 2.57 ERA with 10.7 K/9 and 2.68 FIP. He leads all qualified pitchers in ERA and top-two in other major stastical categories. He's the most well-rounded pitcher in baseball this year.
The 27-year-old isn't showing any signs of slowing down and should be conisdered to be an elite pitcher throughout the rest of his guaranteed time with the Tigers.
He was consistently brought up in trade conversations in the weeks leading up to the deadline, but overall it never seemed too likely that he would be dealt.
Detroit's front office have come out and said that those talks were never really close, but that could be because of the asking price that they had.
They were always going to have a tough time prying a player like Jackson Holliday away from Baltimore, but that doesn't mean that they couldn't pick up a fantastic haul of prospects for a contending team.
Normally, trading a player like Skubal would be considered crazy. There is an argument to be made for the Tigers to have done it, though.
It's hard to imagine that Detroit will open up their pocket books when the southpaws time under team control ends after 2026. They are one of the least-spending teams in the country.
Losing a player like this for nothing would be devastating for the future of the franchise.
The biggest argument to be made for keeping him is the feeling that they could build a competitive roster while he's still under contract.
They aren't on the cusp with the way that the roster looks right now, but with some free agency spending they could compliment the baseline of young talent that they do have around.
If top prospects like Jackson Jobe and Jace Jung can make their way to the big leagues soon and translate quickly, things will only begin to look better.
The clock on the championship window isn't slowing down, so the Tigers need to act quickly or they could potentially regret not trading their ace away.
DYLAN SANDERS