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2026 Trade Deadline

THOUGHTFUL THURSDAY.
Totally Tigers

This week, we spent 3 days covering how Front Offices now operate when it comes to trades.
Times have changed and so have all the teams in how they evaluate and prioritize the talent they have – and need. As a result, there’s a pattern for the summer trade deadline in which solid MLB players are no longer traded for other MLB-level players. There is also a reluctance by teams to trade off their better prospects.
It’s all due to the trend of hoarding prospects. Studies also show that adding a top player, like Tarik Skubal, makes very little difference in getting a team into and through the playoffs.

As a result, it is less likely that the Tigers will get really good talent in exchange for Skubal. Especially since he will only be a 2-month rental. He is also unlikely that trading him would fetch a team’s top prospects in return.
If the Tigers don’t trade Skubal, he will walk at the end of the year and Detroit will receive a comp draft pick after the 1st round. We should remember that the Tigers selected Kevin McGonigle back in 2023 via a comp draft pick (#37).
What should the Tigers do?

What should the Tigers do about Tarik Skubal?

1. Trade Skubal and get the best return possible.

2. Only trade Skubal if the return will eventually help the team.

3. Don't trade Skubal. Try for the playoffs and take the comp pick.

VOTE
 
The lockout and eventual new CBA puts some doubt on how it could play out…However I just heard a radio dude say holding Skubal and just getting the comp pick probably won’t work out because of the prospect failure rate. Well….that is possible. However I think it’s too simplistic a view. First off nobody ever mentions keeping Skubal means you get two months of Skubal plus the possible playoffs. Thats worth something. You also get the comp pick. That has value. What never gets mentioned is by gaining the draft pick, you gain a lot of Draft Bonus Pool money. So really the Tigers could parlay the bonus pool money into two or three guys. Plus they have McGonigle possibly getting the RoY….which would also garner them a high draft pick and more Bonus Pool money. They’d really have enough cash to sign nearly any guy they want in the first 10 rounds next year.
Yooper from TMLR
 
7 MLB trade deadline acquisitions Tigers, Scott Harris can target for 2027 and beyond.
The Tigers can buy at the MLB trade deadline and prioritize their future.
MCBTB
 
FIVE FOR FRIDAY.
Totally Tigers

You see the comments online:

“The Tigers can afford to give Tarik Skubal a big new contract. Give him what he wants.” (Scott Boras only works with a bidding war format.)

“The Tigers should have traded Tarik Skubal 2 years ago when they could have gotten a haul of MLB-ready players.” (You don’t trade a CYA winner right after you make the playoffs unless you want fans to riot.)

“Skubal only pitched 6 innings in a playoff game. Mickey Lolich would have thrown a complete game.” (Stats don’t support CGs or a player’s long-term health. MLB has only 1-2 complete games now per year.)

“Spencer Torkelson’s Fielding percentage is .998%. Why are people complaining when he’s a pretty solid fielder.” (F% is no longer a usable stat. It’s DRS, OAA and FRV that are used to give an accurate picture of a player’s fielding skills.)

“Scott Harris needs to be fired.” (After just 3 years, 2 playoff appearances and 1 season that may be a disappointment. Qualified GMs don’t grow on trees.)

“Chris Ilitch is cheap and needs to sell the team.” (Since 2023, Ilitch has invested over $1 billion in improvements alone and the 2026 payroll of $210 mill ranks #10 in MLB.)

Sure sounds familiar.

Who are these fans?
They’re fans stuck in baseball history and wondering why their baseball team makes “bad” decisions.
Hanging onto beliefs and stats from decades ago that no one uses anymore.
Not understanding that each team is worth billions and is run with the same principles that govern all big businesses.
They believe a team is capable of turning into a World Series contender in just 1-2 years after remaking their entire organization.
And they don’t understand that decisions made by Front Offices are regularly guided by the trends and changes to the game which statistical studies continually churn out.
These fans are unhappy ones. Constantly complaining about what is wrong with their team and suggesting outdated ideas they believe would fix things. Ideas that maybe worked 40-60 years ago.
Fans become unhappy because they don’t understand why Front Offices make the decisions they do that differ greatly from how things used to be done.
So how can we help these fans become happier ones? To enjoy the games more?
By helping them understand that they need to look beyond the roster and update on the trends and practices that have overtaken the sport.

Here are just a sampling of issues that will help ease their frustrations and understand today’s logic and strategy at a better and more modern level.

1 through 5 in the link.
 

Tarik Skubal walked back his MRI comments​

A mixed bag for athletes, media, and fans alike: We like it when athletes speak their minds because curt, canned responses are are both boring and unhelpful. Yet when an athlete says more than perhaps a public relations professional would advise, it may come back to bite them in the rear end.
Tarik Skubal is experiencing that now, as Katrina has noted both in this space and on the Motor City Bengals site. While speaking with The Athletic earlier this week, Skubal said that he knew in January that he was suffering from an elbow injury that should be looked at by a medical professional, but he chose not to because he was in the midst of an arbitration case with the Detroit Tigers. Couple that with this being his final season before free agency, and it's easy to paint a picture that Skubal put his current team's season at risk in an attempt to keep his financial future brighter. That, as you would expect, has not gone over well with fans despite Skubal's admission now that he was wrong to do so.
Among other topics Thursday, Skubal addressed the blowup that came of the original quotes. You can watch the video above, skipping to about the 5 minute mark. "I had a hiccup in January I thought was jus some soreness. I'd never dealt with anything like that before. We were trending the right way. That's the reason there was no MRI. There was no discussion of an MRI. ... I felt like I was doing a good job. I had that incident in Atlanta and the next two days weren't great. That's when I decided to have an MRI and have a surgery. That whole thing was blown out of proportion. That's fine. I get it. A lot of it was not true and not factual, me denying an MRI. ... A lot of things that are said about me are not true. It is what it is though."
Skubal said in hindsight he would have gotten the MRI in January if he knew it wasn't going to get better, but he thought it was getting better until he wasn't.
Ultimately two separate issues -- preserving his financial value for arbitration/free agency for one, and the elbow pain for another -- ended up tied together here, and that was Skubal's doing. Perhaps fans would have been more forgiving had Skubal not tied his arbitration battle in with his elbow issue. Fans, rightfully protective of the team they will be rooting for long after he's gone, also had a right to react the way they did as well when he appeared to put his financial interest before the team.
People want to hear the unfiltered truth, until they don't.
MCBTB

BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!
 
Were I in a similar situation and I experience ANY irregularities in my throwing elbow -- no matter the circumstances -- I get it checked out; I get the MRI, and I let my employer know what is going on, even if it costs me money.

I'd rather lose money than my integrity, which is priceless to me.
 
A quiet trade deadline isn’t an option for Detroit.
The Tigers are at a tipping point, and no matter where they’re at in the standings on Aug. 3, they need to be aggressive.
Tigers Intelligence Report w/Joe Rampe
 
My Skubal trade of choice: Tarik to Milwaukee for Logan Henderson and Andrew Fischer.
Henderson is the controllable, young SP Scott Harris covets, with an ERA in the bigs ~3.00.
Andrew Fischer is having a historic season in the minors, with 29 homers in AA and an 1,100 OPS.
Marc Ryan 97.1 the ticket
 
DEEPER DISCUSSIONS.
Totally Tigers

The trade deadline is coming up with most of the significant moves expected to hit within 48 of the August 3rd deadline.
It is still unclear if the Tigers will be buyers, sellers – or both. The Front Office will be watching this last week of games to see if the team improves and gains ground in the AL Central and wild card race.
Most of the conversations have centered around Tarik Skubal but the Tigers have 5 other players who will become free agents after this year. Potentially, they could add at least 1 more draft pick depending upon who is traded.
The widely-expected lockout on December 1st may complicate every team’s plans for the future. Depending upon how long baseball is suspended – and many believe it could be most or all of the 2027 season – teams will be changing their plans and rosters.
Players not on the 40-man roster when the lockout hits will still have their regular seasons in the minors. They will be able to train and develop their skills and experience.
How should the Tigers plan the rest of this year?
Should they trade several players and receive multiple MLB-level ones in return in an attempt to finish the year on the strongest note possible?
Or should they focus on loading up on multiple prospects with the goal of using 2027 to develop them for the 2028 season?
Today’s blog addresses this question and allows readers to share their thoughts in more detail. And hopefully, to actively engage with others by responding to their posts and creating back-and-forth discussion threads. The more the merrier!
For this one blog only, you’ve got 6 sentences max to share your thoughts. Of course, you can also respond to other readers.
TT will supply the ammunition. One thought-provoking question. Several options provided. One hard choice to be selected. One vote.
Ready?

How should the Tigers approach the trade deadline?

1. Trade for MLB-ready players to help this year.

2. Trade for prospects who could be ready by 2028.

VOTE
 
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