Tigers' Max Clark promotion just confirmed Scott Harris' intent with Tarik Skubal trade

On Thursday, Emily Waldon of Baseball America reported the Tigers were calling up No. 1 prospect Max Clark ahead of their series against the Athletics, the last before the trade deadline on Aug. 3.

It wasn't an altogether surprising move; Matt Vierling is dealing with a groin issue, but was drawing the ire of fans for poor performance before he got hurt anyway, and it became the perfect excuse for the Tigers to call up Clark. On the other hand, it would've made sense for the Tigers to hold off and preserve his rookie eligibility in 2027. The Tigers are never eager to give up the possibility of an extra draft pick.

But Detroit is also gearing up to trade Tarik Skubal — it's all but inevitable at this point — and are stating their intentions plainly with Clark: they plan to compete after the trade deadline, even without their ace.

The initial asking price for Skubal is expected to be "exorbitant," and this move all but confirms that. Scott Harris isn't going to accept a couple of faraway lottery tickets; he's going to get players that can continue to help the Tigers in in August and September, maybe even October, and well into the future.

Max Clark's promotion means the Tigers are going to accept nothing less than the best for Tarik Skubal

Reports have almost unanimously agreed that the starting point will be a controllable starter. There are plenty of options the named suitors could throw in: Justin Wrobleski from the Dodgers, Logan Henderson from the Brewers, JR Ritchie from the Braves, Will Warren from the Yankees, and so on.

But it's going to have to go well beyond that. If we thought that the window for the Tigers to receive a Juan Soto-esque package for Skubal had closed, we might have to think again. They may get fewer players, but the players they do receive will have to provide more of an immediate and tangible impact for Detroit than the players the Padres gave the Nationals.

Not to mention, a Clark promotion certainly distracts from the PR fallout of the Tigers trading Skubal (though most of us are on the same page about it by now). This is the Tigers saying they're not going to go quietly this year, and anyone who wants Skubal is going to have to bring their best offerings to lay at Harris' feet.

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