Painful what-ifs in Detroit as Skubal heads to Dodgers
- The San Juan Daily Star
- 1 day ago
- 5 min read
By CODY STAVENHAGEN / THE ATHLETIC
The game mirrors life in so many ways, and here is one: Things do not always go as we plan. As Tarik Skubal said over the weekend, soon after learning he was traded to the Los Angeles Dodgers, “circumstances change, situations change.”
Not every pursuit ends in success. Not every resolution is clean and ripe with satisfaction. Sometimes, you accept what reality gives you, and you move on the best you know how.
That strange sense of incompletion hung over the Detroit Tigers’ clubhouse Saturday night. That troubling sense of reflection, before things can really be put in perspective, took hold soon after Skubal stepped in front of a camera and bid farewell to the organization that once used a ninth-round pick to select him, an unheralded left-hander out of Seattle University.
“Going into the season, this isn’t what I planned on doing,” Skubal said of being traded.
Instead, he envisioned this year serving as a capstone to a fascinating era of Tigers baseball.
When the Tigers drafted Skubal eight years ago, they were in the early stages of a miserable rebuild. They centered their focus on starting pitching. Names such as Casey Mize, Alex Faedo and Matt Manning were supposed to lead the Tigers into the future. Instead, it was Skubal who blossomed into a franchise-changing talent, a dominating pitcher who would win two Cy Young Awards.
Skubal made his debut in 2020, in an empty ballpark in Chicago against the White Sox. He surrendered a home run to Tim Anderson, the first batter he faced in the major leagues. More hard lessons followed. Too many balls left the yard. At-bats went on too long. Flexor tendon surgery disrupted his year in 2022, right when he was showing signs of putting it all together.
“I feel like I’ve experienced a lot, and gone through the ups and downs, and gone through a lot of failure early in my career,” Skubal said. “This club never stopped believing in me, kept rolling me out there every fifth day when I probably didn’t deserve to be. So that’s something that I’ll never take for granted. The fan support of me and my family, everywhere I go, I’ve always truly appreciated that.”
Eventually, Skubal turned into the game’s best and most commanding pitcher. He carried the Tigers to the playoffs in 2024 and 2025. The team went 42-20 in his starts. He leaves Detroit as the franchise record-holder for strikeouts per nine innings (10.5), walks plus hits per inning pitched (1.012) and earned run average plus (137).
“I’m not sure many guys have the pleasure of catching Cy Young pitchers, so it will always stick with me,” said Tigers catcher Dillon Dingler. “It’s the everyday thing that is pretty incredible. How he was in the clubhouse. You hear about some great pitchers that were maybe a little bit harsh. Skub was the exact opposite. Kept it light. Kept it fun. Was great to hang out with. He’ll be missed.”
After a win against the Athletics on Saturday, the Tigers’ clubhouse was subdued. The team masseuse cried after giving Skubal a hug. Infielder Colt Keith walked by, looking for Skubal. Even manager A.J. Hinch, as eloquent as they come, struggled to put Skubal’s time with Detroit in perspective.
“As much as I’ve been wondering if this is going to happen, I don’t think you’re ever really prepared to answer the massive questions like that,” Hinch said. “Obviously, it’s been incredible. I’ve watched this guy rise to the top of the sport, and he’s carried us a lot. I’ll forever be grateful that our paths crossed and the things that he did for this organization and a couple of playoff teams, his presence, his work ethic, his example, his dominance.”
The trade for Skubal — which brings right-handed pitchers River Ryan and Brady Smith, plus an outfield prospect, Zyhir Hope, to Detroit — is difficult to swallow in a year when the Tigers’ hopes are not officially dashed. Detroit is under .500, but in a weak American League. In the age of the expanded playoffs, the Tigers are competing for a wild-card spot.
“The priorities, the standards, the push for the season doesn’t stop,” Hinch said.
Skubal leaves to join the vaunted Dodgers, baseball’s budding evil empire, a franchise rich in major league talent and also ripe on the farm. Los Angeles was perhaps always the team best suited to part with the prospect capital needed to acquire Skubal.
“I’m excited to be a Dodger,” Skubal said. “I’m excited to get down there and meet all those guys and chase three championships in a row.”
Skubal said those words, but he was only able to look ahead so much. He had left the Tigers’ dugout in the second inning and trekked through the left field gate to the visiting clubhouse at the Triple-A stadium the Athletics are temporarily calling home. He had gone to get in his normal exercise and treatment. But inside the clubhouse, when the call finally arrived, Skubal sensed what was coming.
When Skubal addressed reporters later, he struggled to put his emotions into words. The Tigers entered this season as World Series contenders. And though Skubal, a client of the agent Scott Boras, was always unlikely to sign a contract extension, he dreamed of winning a title in Detroit.
Instead, the bone chip in his left elbow became too much to bear earlier this season. He missed more than a month, and the Tigers suffered through a 6-22 May in his absence. Even as they recovered with a stellar June, and Skubal returned much sooner than first expected, the writing was on the wall. The team could not mortgage its future to keep him simply for the hope of a long-shot run.
Scott Harris, the Tigers’ president of baseball operations, who orchestrated the deal, talked last year of not believing in a Skubal window. The Tigers aim to be competitive for years to come. With players such as Dingler, Kevin McGonigle and Max Clark, they might have the chance.
Still, one fact stings: The Tigers drafted and developed one of the best pitchers in the sport. They have two wild-card berths to show for it.
When star athletes leave town these days, there are often hard feelings. Some will knock Skubal for the times he did not cross 100 pitches, for not pleading for an extension, for not having his arm examined before the season.
But the Tigers are parting with one of the best pitchers in franchise history, a player who helped bring winning and relevance back to Detroit.
With the Dodgers, Skubal will aid the quest for a historic “three-peat.”
Without Skubal’s fastball, presence and fire, the Tigers will not be the same.
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