Tarik Skubal: “It’s not like I want to be traded, so it’s kind of like, why am I being traded? Why am I in these conversations? But I try to just stay out of it, that’s always how I’ve handled in years past.”

Tarik Skubal: “It's not like I want to be traded, so it's kind of like, why am I being traded? Why am I in these conversations? But I try to just stay out of it, that’s always how I’ve handled in years past.”
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26 comments

  2. Tarik is a good guy, but he is being really disingenuous here. Of COURSE he knows why he’s in trade discussions. If he wanted them to go away, he’d be talking about an extension with Detroit, but he’s not.

  4. I mean I get it but come on Tarik you’re a smart guy. You know why your name is in trade talks 

  6. You hire SCOTT BORAS as your agent and wonder why there’s trade talk??? U gotta be f*ing kidding me

  7. Tarik controls it all if he wants to sign here long term he can tell boras that. It’s just a constant pr battle currently

  8. He doesn’t owe us anything. And we don’t owe him anything after this year. That’s why, as I get older, I concentrate more on being a fan of the team and not the players. Players come and go.

  9. Hi Tarik, it’s because Scott Boras wants 1 trillion dollars for you. If you didn’t have Scott Boras as an agent and did an extension now for an insane amount of money, not waiting for free agency, the tigers brass wouldn’t have to figure out if you are going to resign.

  10. This is such a bullshit answer. I’m not saying he has to be loyal to Detroit, it’s a sport and money talks, but I’m so sick of athletes dropping these vanilla ass responses.

  11. MLB owners are notorious for collusion and the CBA expires in 53ish weeks. Nobody that is a 26 offseason free agent is going to sign an extension before a new CBA is in place, which means he’s not getting traded either. Stop the anxiety and enjoy next season.

  12. All this trade speculation is just talk off-season speculation. Tarik should know what the conversations are coming from Boras and the Harris. If he really wants to stay he can push Boras to negotiate an extension. If he wants to see what he gets in free agency, then of course his name is going to come up in trade talk.

    It sucks, i really hope he doesn’t leave Detroit until retires and he goes into cooperstown with the ol English D but as time progresses that seems less likely.

  15. So sick of this guy

    Same interview he says, “I wonder if they’ll let me re-enter this game” talking about game 5 vs the Mariners. What an absolute clown

  16. I always feel like this “I just say out of it” attitude is just a cop out. Tarik has his number in mind. Give front office your number and the ball is in their court then.

  17. A bit of feigned ignorance here but definitely par for the course. Part of the role of agents is to insulate players from contract talks in the eyes of the fans.

    Baseball is also fucked up with how long it takes players to reach FA, and how often they are vastly underpaid until they do. It’s hard to begrudge someone in that situation for wanting to maximize their earnings.

    With the year left of club control and the inherent pitcher injury risk, there is absolutely a deal to be made now. With the core we have and the prospects we have coming, it’s not the time for nepo-baby Chris Ilitch to be holding the purse strings tight. Honor your father and do what you can to give the city the winner it deserves.

  18. You can only deflect for so long. Your agent is Boras, you didn’t hire him to get you a team friendly deal. $300-$400m sounds pretty good for someone that’s getting 5% of their cut. He doesn’t care where the money comes from, so if the Tigers come up short he will demand a trade for his client. Skubal can easily provide a realistic number and then let the Tigers digest. If they decline, then he can point the finger at the GM and say they didn’t want me. We are talking about a contract that accounts for almost a quarter of the entire team salary for the year. Few teams are willing to take that risk, and the Tigers can flip him for multiple assets should they decide to trade.

  19. I’m gonna get downvoted forsure but I am still taking this guy at face value. He’s always repoint the city and culture. I do think he wants to stay and I do think if the Tigers give him a market value offer that he will sign and stay. I don’t think it’s as automatic as just because he’s a Boras client that he’s a 100% lock to go to market next offseason.

  21. I know we don’t like to hear it, but he’s striking the balance between being the best pitcher in baseball—both in terms of his performance (what he can control) and his compensation (what Boras has been hired to control). He’s not an idiot, and I think the path of least resistance (and smartest business decision) all offseason is going to be giving answers like this. He keeps himself at arms length from the mess Boras creates so he can focus on staying healthy and continuing to dominate.

    I want Harris to pony up, but I think we all know if he suddenly offered an insane contract, Boras would say “that’s a great offer, we’ll consider it.” and then ride it out til FA to use it as a competing offer to drive bids up. Skub is smart to stay out of this, because it’s only going to be a distraction. And people are going to continue to be disappointed when he doesn’t say what they want to hear 🙃

  23. “I have no clue why they’d trade me. I won’t resign before free agency and will likely leave them high and dry next off-season, but a trade? Why would they do that!”

    Love Skubal but this is silly.

  25. The Tigers first offer, no matter what it is, will always be too low because it is setting the baseline for a contract. Teams will back channel that they will be willing to pay more. So Borris’s answer will be no.

    Borris is dictating what Skubal says, even if he said he wants to remain in Detroit. The more pressure from the fans, the more fear he won’t sign will only increase his price. The Tigers ability to get any value for him, if they can’t make a deal is now. Harris, love him or not, job is ti protect the best interest of the team.

    We all would like that to be resigning Skubal. If they feel that isn’t in the cards they’ll get more for him now than at the trade deadline. Free Agents are watching what they do too.

    So I ask:

    What would you prefer the team to do if signing him now doesn’t seen possible?

    1) Trade him now
    2) Trade him at the deadline
    3) Hold on to him without any assurances that he’ll resign and lose him to free agency with nothing in return other than a compensation pick.

    If you pick #3 you can not complain next off-season when he leaves.

    Everything is a gamble and the Tigers are in a corner.

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