Notorious MLB insider has adamant Tarik Skubal trade take Tigers fans can get behind

Almost every national MLB insider has a bad reputation for one reason or another. Jon Heyman has, among other things, the infamous Arson Judge tweet. Jon Morosi has "Shohei Ohtani is on a plane to Toronto." Jim Bowden's takes are out of touch and Ken Rosenthal's "insider intel" is just things we've already heard. Bob Nightengale has way too many slip-ups to count.

We tend to get so agitated at these insiders that it's hard to admit when they make a point we can agree on, or provide a new piece of information that can actually help inform our thinking. But Tigers fans have to admit ... Nightengale's latest take on the will-they-won't-they surrounding Detroit and Tarik Skubal is pretty good.

He listed the Tigers as the No. 1 team that will "hold all the cards" depending on how they handle the trade deadline — which, like, duh — but he also advocated for the Tigers keeping Skubal, which we can't say about many insiders these days.

"Sure, trading Skubal will fortify their farm system, but it will also crush the morale in the clubhouse and infuriate their passionate fan base," he wrote. "Besides, the American League is completely wide open. Just get into the dance, and you can be the last one standing in October. And stop with the nonsense that the Tigers could thread the needle by trading Skubal and still adding pieces. Trading Skubal, plain and simple, is surrendering."

Bob Nightengale actually got this Tarik Skubal, Tigers trade take right

Tigers fans aren't a monolith when it comes to the Trade Skubal vs. Keep Skubal debate. There are plenty who believe that Detroit should wring all possible value out of him before he leaves anyway. The Tigers will give him the qualifying offer, he'll decline, and then all Detroit will have to show for him is an extra draft pick.

This is the most fatalistic line of thinking, and it's not hard to see why some fans are inclined toward it. The Tigers certainly have a history of traumatizing fans, and the team has not been what they were promised to be this season.

But the Tigers are getting better. They have the second-best record in baseball since June 1. There is real belief, both within the team and among fans, that they can make a postseason run.

They might still be able to even if they trade Skubal, but the fact is that they will always have a better chance with him on the roster. Nightengale is right: trading him telegraphs to the rest of the league that they've given up. Some of us are okay with that, but a lot of us still aren't.

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