The Detroit Tigers sit just one game back of the final AL Wild Card spot, but they’re doing it without two of their best arms after dealing Tarik Skubal and Casey Mize at the deadline.
Now Bleacher Report’s Tim Kelly is wondering if Detroit jumped the gun on those moves. The Tigers are still 5.5 games behind Chicago in the AL Central with over a month to play, so even the division isn’t completely out of reach.
“As is, the Tigers are currently one game back of the final wild-card spot in the AL,” Kelly wrote. “If A.J. Hinch’s club snuck into the postseason with a rotation that included Skubal, Mize and Framber Valdez, who’s to say they couldn’t have made noise in what may be the weakest AL in at least a generation?”
That’s the question that has to be eating at Scott Harris and the front office right now.
The Skubal trade to the Dodgers brought back prospects Zyhir Hope, River Ryan, and Brady Smith. For a back-to-back AL Cy Young winner, that return feels light. But Detroit knew Skubal wasn’t likely to re-sign this winter, so it was either trade him now or lose him for nothing.
Mize went out for pitching prospects Kash Mayfield and Jackson Wolf.
“Alas, moving Skubal and Mize was probably the right long-term move for Detroit. However, for at least the rest of the season, [Scott] Harris and company will likely wonder what would have happened if they went the other route and potentially added a piece or two.”
The Tigers are in this weird spot where they’re competitive enough to make you think “what if” but realistic enough to know those trades probably made sense long-term. Still, watching your team stay in the hunt without the guys you just dealt has to sting a little.
If Detroit actually sneaks into October, it’s going to make for some interesting conversations this winter about when to buy and when to sell.
