With the Detroit Tigers on the outside looking in when looking at the playoff bracket, they decided to trade Tarik Skubal to the Los Angeles Dodgers. This made all kinds of sense from a Tigers standpoint, as they received a haul for a player who was a near lock to leave that winter as a free agent, but that doesn't mean it was an easy deal to execute.
By trading Skubal, the Tigers all but waved the white flag on the 2026 campaign, and sure enough, their postseason odds sit at 0.7 percent per FanGraphs. From Skubal's perspective, the trade made him leave all he'd known. While Dodgers fans would love for him to immediately move on and embrace everything that being a Dodger means, it's clear that the Tigers are still in his head.
The Tigers are still in Tarik Skubal's head, whether he admits it or not
Since being traded to the Dodgers, Skubal has tried to focus on the present rather than dwell on the past, but clearly, that's been tough. Just look at his quote in Sonja Chen's latest article for MLB.com.
"Obviously getting traded, I’m trying to throw myself into being an L.A. Dodger," Skubal said. "Get to know this team and get to know this staff and get to know everything, get settled in with everybody here, and then go out and compete and try to win as many baseball games as I can here."
Skubal says how hard he's been trying to acclimate to his new environment, but doing so isn't exactly easy. I don't blame him either. He was drafted by the Tigers in the ninth round of the 2018 MLB Draft, meaning he was in that organization for nearly a decade. He won two Cy Young Awards with the English D on his chest. He helped guide the Tigers to two straight memorable postseason appearances.
"There was a lot of heavy heart, emotions," manager Dave Roberts said. "So I think this was the last box he had to check. I think he’s got four or five starts with us, so now we can push forward, and all feel good about it."
It's clear, though, that this has been a tough transition for Skubal. I mean, he took his espresso machine away from the Tigers clubhouse and to L.A., for crying out loud. Perhaps returning to Detroit (and pitching extremely well after shedding some tears) will help him turn the page completely. What's important to note, though, is that this could have been avoided if it weren't for Skubal.
Tarik Skubal is to blame for being traded by the Tigers
Now, I understand that Skubal didn't demand a trade. In fact, he made it clear that he wanted to finish out the year with Detroit. With that being said, Skubal was also very aware of the situation. He knew that the Tigers were unlikely to meet his lofty asking price and that if things had gone awry, he'd be a prime trade candidate.
I'm not here to say that Skubal should've taken less money to stay with the Tigers, but that was an option. He chose to hire Scott Boras, an agent known for pushing his clients to free agency and chasing the most money, to represent him. He chose to pursue arbitration rather than a long-term extension. The Tigers could've extended him, just not for top dollar. Skubal wants top dollar. That's his right, but that's why he isn't in Detroit anymore.
He didn't want to sign a long-term deal with Detroit and is now experiencing how difficult life can be away from situations you're comfortable in. There's no doubt that Skubal will eventually figure everything out and be just fine (he's already pitched quite well for the most part with the Dodgers), but for now, it's clear that there're still some unresolved feelings, and understandably so. It's only been a month, after all.
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