Tarik Skubal injury could flip trade market on its head

Lefty pitcher Tarik Skubal’s time as a tradeable asset may be at an end for the Tigers on the eve of the trade deadline thanks to an injury.

Detroit’s plans to listen to trade offers for Tarik Skubal were likely derailed by his aborted start on Monday night, the day before the MLB trade deadline.

The pitcher had to be pulled from the game against the Twins after five scoreless innings of work. Detroit later announced he was dealing with left arm fatigue.

Is that the most Tigers’ development ever? Probably.

Tarik Skubal injury could flip trade market on its head

Skubal has been the subject of trade rumors as the Tigers look to offload a bunch of players after a disappointing first half of the season.

He’s been Detroit’s top pitcher this year with an ERA of 3.67. And at just 25 years old, he’d carry great value to teams looking to add a promising young pitcher on minimum salary who is under contract through 2026 and ineligible for arbitration until 2024.

The severity of Skubal’s problem is irrelevant with the trade deadline so close. Getting a deal done under these circumstances feels pretty much impossible.

The plus side for Skubal is that he likes Detroit and will get to stay a Tiger. His team definitely got the downside not being able to cash in on the hot trade market.

Jon Morosi reported on Sunday that the Tigers would “engage in trade talks if a team offers multiple high-impact players, at or near the MLB level.”

There’s no telling for sure if Detroit would have gotten an acceptable offer for Skubal, but they won’t get the chance to see.