Tigers front office has a long road ahead if rumored Tarik Skubal trade strategy is real

On Sunday, Bob Nightengale reported that "some rival GMs believe that even though the Detroit Tigers have climbed into the Wild Card race, they will still trade two-time Cy Young winner Tarik Skubal, while trying to convince their players and fan base that they are not surrendering."

A rival chimed in to question why the Tigers haven't shut down rumors if they're truly set on keeping Skubal, but it's sort of an inane question. Clearly, Detroit will be in limbo until the day of deadline, if not the final hour. Why shouldn't they listen and keep their options open until they decide one way or the other?

We've heard all about the Tigers' indecision, all of the rival exec's opinions, all of the terrible trade proposals from Dodgers and Yankees fans. For Tigers fans, the most interesting part of Nightengale's reporting is how the team might plan to approach the fallout of a Skubal trade.

There are many different schools of thought regarding not only whether or not the Tigers will or should trade Skubal, but if they really have a shot at the postseason without him. As much as some fans have soured to him, the worst argument those in that camp make is that the Tigers don't need him.

That is provably untrue. Losing Skubal (and a whole host of other players) to the IL was clearly a blow to the team's morale in May. His latest start for the Tigers, and maybe the last of his career, was his best of the season.

Most fans know that losing Skubal would be a serious blow to any hope that the Tigers do what they did in 2024 and make a miracle run. It would be a sad goodbye for even the most jaded of us.

So how do the Tigers convince fans they're still in this?

Any Tigers attempt to calm fans' fears after a potential Tarik Skubal trade might fall on deaf ears

AJ Hinch has been saying the same thing as Detroit's record has improved through June and July: the Tigers are a good baseball team with a bad record. On some levels, this is true, and the loss of one pitcher who only gets on the mound every five days shouldn't break a team. Detroit has been playing far better baseball in the last two months. Young pitchers are answering the call. The American League is still wide open.

But Skubal is undeniably the Tigers' leader. He's at the core of their identity. What would it do to the players and the fanbase to watch the front office trade Skubal to the Dodgers or the Yankees or the Brewers?

Any bounce back in morale would almost certainly hinge on the return Scott Harris manages to get from the buying team. If Harris can manage to get the major league-ready starter the Tigers are looking for, the needle moves. If that starter is actually good, the needle moves more.

Regardless, winning back a huge swath of the fanbase is going to be an uphill battle. And it should be.

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