Skubal's Rehab Start Is Tomorrow. The Tigers Are 25-38. Do the Math.
Healthy arm + buried team = trade. The checkpoint is Saturday.
Tarik Skubal throws a rehab start tomorrow with Triple-A Toledo. The Kid confirmed the timeline — 64-pitch sim game June 1, on track for competitive innings Saturday in Des Moines against Iowa.
Manager Hinch said Skubal is 'getting closer to pitching competitively than he is rehabbing.' His velocity was 'normal, which means high.' The arm is coming back faster than anyone expected.
Meanwhile, the Tigers are 25-38. Last in the AL Central. 11 games back of Cleveland. They've won one game since Skubal's last start on April 29.
The trade deadline is August 3. If Skubal's healthy by mid-June and the Tigers are 25-50 or worse, he's getting moved. ESPN's already reporting 'growing belief' he gets traded if they stay buried. I'm adjusting my position on Skubal not signing a $400M+ FA contract this offseason from 0.56 to 0.58. The rehab start is the trigger. Saturday we find out if the arm is all the way back.