Detroit Tigers ace and defending AL Cy Young winner Tarik Skubal will make his 2025 debut against the Los Angeles Dodgers on Thursday night. It is not an easy challenge for Skubal, as the Dodgers won the World Series last season and proceeded to get even better over the winter. The Tigers, meanwhile, made moderate changes such as signing Jack Flaherty and Gleyber Torres, but for the most part are relying on their young core to take the next step.
As great as a story as the Tigers were late last season, at the trade deadline they were receiving calls...on Skubal. Detroit president of baseball operations Scott Harris ultimately knew better than to trade away his best player, especially when Skubal still had multiple years of control left on his contract. Harris and the Tigers are building something, even if the progress isn't always so evident minus that two-month 2024 run that sent Detroit into a baseball frenzy.
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Tarik Skubal posts message to Tigers fans on Opening Day
As for Skubal, he and the Tigers posted a message to fans on the eve of Opening Day. This is not the same team as years past, in which promises from baseball operations rang hollow.
“Detroit is a sports town and a slept-on city,” Skubal wrote in a social media post. “You don’t understand this place or the people in it until you’ve been here. As I’ve learned more about our city, it’s clear that Detroit has faced its fair share of adversity."
The Motor City, still in many ways feeling the aftershock of the collapse of a once-proud American auto industry, has recovered nicely over the last decade. Jobs have returned to Michigan that many expected were gone forever. The Tigers, even if just a sports team, serve a role in providing optimism for a proud urban metropolis. Skubal hopes to build upon their 2024 success, rather than considering it a flash in the pan.
“So, say what you want about us … about Detroit,” Skubal wrote. “We have unfinished business, so … let’s run it back.”
Skubal's post was eloquently written. The only issue, of course, is that it came from the AL Cy Young winner, and we're not far removed from Skubal being mentioned in blockbuster trade talks. With two years left on his contract, fans in Detroit want the Tigers to sign their ace to a contract extension. Had such a post announced THAT news, Tigers fans would've been elated.
Typically, such long posts like the one written by Skubal announce one of three things – an extension, a trade or an injury. In this case, it was none of the above. For now, Tigers fans on reddit can take a deep breath.