Tigers race the deadline as Tarik Skubal trade talk heats up
Detroit has two weeks to play its way out of a possible Tarik Skubal trade, with AJ Hinch saying the Tigers have been in must-win mode since May.
By Deshawn Carter · Sports Writer
3 min read
The Tigers have two weeks to change the conversation around Tarik Skubal, and manager AJ Hinch is not pretending otherwise.
According to ESPN, Detroit entered the final stretch before the Aug. 3 MLB trade deadline facing a blunt equation: make a late July push and keep its All-Star left-hander, or keep slipping and risk seeing him become one of the deadline’s biggest prizes.
Hinch addressed the noise before Detroit’s game against the Chicago Cubs on Monday, saying the Tigers have already been living with urgency for months.
“We've been playing Game 7 since May,” Hinch said, according to ESPN. “We know what's ahead. We know what the conversation around our team is. Tarik is in the news every single day because someone has a dream trade to make up, yet we have a game to win that night.”
Skubal has been effective since coming back from an elbow injury that kept him out for six weeks. ESPN reported that he has a 2.97 ERA over seven games since returning.
That absence lined up with a May slump for Detroit, and the club has been trying to recover ground in the playoff race since then. The clock is now loud because Skubal is nearing free agency, according to ESPN, and the front office may have to choose between chasing October and cashing in on one of baseball’s most attractive arms.
Detroit went into Monday 4.5 games out of an American League wild-card spot, ESPN reported, with six teams ahead of the Tigers in that race. That makes the climb crowded, even if the gap itself is not out of reach.
Hinch said the team has accepted the attention as part of its season.
“We're taking it with open arms that its part of our identity,” Hinch said, according to ESPN. “We've got to block out all the news of what's ahead the next few weeks and get to winning games.”
The division path may offer Detroit a cleaner shot. ESPN reported that the Tigers were 6.5 games behind the first-place Chicago White Sox in the AL Central entering Monday, while FanGraphs gave Detroit a 16 percent chance to win the division. That was several points higher than its wild-card odds, according to the report.
Detroit also had played the fewest games against AL Central opponents, ESPN reported, leaving more chances to make up ground directly.
“We're not naïve that we need to win more games in order for us to maintain our trajectory,” Hinch said.
If the Tigers fall short, ESPN reported that a bidding battle for Skubal is likely, with Detroit positioned to seek another club’s top-five prospect in return.
Help is arriving at a useful time. ESPN reported that veteran infielder Gleyber Torres was activated from the injured list Monday. Infielder and outfielder Javier Báez, who has an ankle issue, is scheduled to begin a rehab assignment with Class-A Lakeland on Tuesday.
Hinch said Torres will be worked back gradually.
“I'll ease him back in,” Hinch said, according to ESPN. “He may not play every single day for the next 10 days but a big boost for us.”
This story draws on original reporting from ESPN.com.