At least Scott Harris’ comments about the Tarik Skubal trade didn’t upset Tigers fans. Sorry, Detroit Tigers fans – we hate to bring up the 2024 MLB trade deadline again, but there’s a good reason for it.
We all know the Jack Flaherty trade wasn’t ideal. The Tigers had the top rental starter on the market but only got a modest return from the Los Angeles Dodgers. In exchange for Flaherty, they received High-A catcher Thayron Liranzo and Triple-A shortstop Trey Sweeney, now ranked as their Nos. 5 and 24 prospects, respectively. It felt like they could have done better. The disappointment was even greater when compared to the return the Toronto Blue Jays received for Yusei Kikuchi, another rental pitcher having a worse season. The Blue Jays traded Kikuchi to the Houston Astros and got pitching prospect Jake Bloss (now Toronto’s No. 3 prospect), major league left fielder Joey Loperfido, and infield prospect Will Wagner (No. 22).
To make matters worse, Tigers president of baseball operations Scott Harris defended the trade, denying that the return for Flaherty was less than what Toronto got for Kikuchi. He even offered this vague explanation: “We had opportunities to make different deals with different teams. This is the deal we chose for a reason.”
Really? With that unclear and unhelpful explanation, everything makes sense now. Thanks, Scott!
At least Harris’ comments about the decision not to trade Tigers ace and American League Cy Young Award frontrunner Tarik Skubal at the deadline didn’t frustrate fans as much.
Harris may have dug himself a hole with the Flaherty trade, but he might have slightly redeemed himself with his statements regarding Skubal. Despite the swirling rumors, Harris stated that a deal for Skubal was never close. “Not close,” he said during his post-deadline press conference. “There were a lot of rumors out there. Many ‘unconfirmed reports’ were completely inaccurate. We never came close to trading Skubal.”
It’s reassuring to know Harris hasn’t lost his way entirely. Skubal, with years of team control remaining, has been one of the few bright spots for Tigers fans this summer.
More importantly, Harris’ decision not to trade Skubal could signal what’s ahead this offseason. Had Harris suggested that the Tigers were open to moving Skubal, trade rumors would likely resurface after the season. But by making it clear he wouldn’t even consider a trade, Harris left room for speculation that the Tigers might aggressively improve their roster this winter. Skubal gives the Tigers their best chance to contend during the remaining years of his contract, and possibly beyond. Harris knows this. Trading Skubal would have signaled a full-scale rebuild, further delaying their window of contention. But keeping him shows Harris is still aiming to build a winning team now.
If the Tigers can end the 2024 season on a strong note, it could be a busy offseason in Detroit. Skubal’s staying, and hopefully, reinforcements will be on the way.
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