Insider echoes Tigers fans' thoughts about Tarik Skubal-Shohei Ohtani trade comparisons

Pretty much all Detroit Tigers fans can think about right now is whether the team will trade ace pitcher Tarik Skubal. A familiar refrain among proponents for the Tigers dealing him is that Detroit cannot make the same mistake the Los Angeles Angels made in 2023 with Shohei Ohtani.

MLB insider Andy McCullough of The Athletic recently tore that annoying comparison to shreds in a mailbag by posing a somewhat sarcastic question about the Angels turning down a deal that would have sent Ohtani to the Tampa Bay Rays: “Can you imagine where the Angels would be with Junior Caminero?!?”

McCullough thinks the Angels would probably be in a pretty similar spot even if they made that trade because they are more than just one player away from being in the playoffs.

The 2026 Tigers are not the 2023 Angels, and to suggest they are is silly. The Tigers are far from being a juggernaut but they are not anywhere near as poorly run as the Angels have been for years, so the Ohtani-Skubal comparisons don’t really stand up to scrutiny.

Tigers have been burned by trading away their ace in the past, but they aren't the Angels

Plus, Tigers fans know better than anyone that trading away your ace for prospects doesn’t always turn out that well. They just got a reminder of that with the recent DFA of catcher Jake Rogers. He was one of the three prospects the Tigers got from the Houston Astros in the Justin Verlander trade (and none of them panned out).

There’s obviously a case to be made to get something for Skubal now since he’s going to be a free agent after the season, and it seems pretty unlikely that he will sign a long-term deal with the Tigers. But the Tigers are still technically alive in the playoff race. They are six games back in the American League Central and 4.5 games out of a Wild Card spot so the dream is alive.

Plus, there’s no guarantee that whatever prospects they get will actually be good, and there’s a chance they end up regretting they gave up on the 2026 season more than they regret not giving Skubal up.

Historical precedent can be instructive at times, but comparing the Skubal situation to the Ohtani one just does not quite sit right. Prospects often don’t work out, so the Tigers shouldn’t feel the need to trade him away at all costs, especially if they don’t get the return they think is fair. 

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