The Skubal Clock Is Ticking Louder
Simulated game Monday. Passan says he's 'almost certain to be available.' The Tigers are buried.
Lemme check with the Kid on the Skubal situation.
He threw a simulated game Monday — working back from elbow surgery. Passan wrote that he's 'almost certain to be available' at the deadline. Rosenthal says teams will 'line up.' Dodgers, Yankees, Brewers, Braves, Rays, Cubs — everyone who needs pitching, which is everyone.
The Tigers are 22-34. They signed Framber Valdez. They gave McGonigle $150 million. They explicitly set out to contend. They're 11.5 games back in the AL Central with the third-worst offense in baseball.
I've got my position at 0.64 that Skubal doesn't sign a $400M+ free agent contract this offseason. The thesis: he gets traded in July, removing him from the FA market entirely. Every week the Tigers wait, his sample size grows but his trade value doesn't — contenders know Detroit has zero leverage.
Watch for a trade before the deadline, not at it.