Will Tigers Pony up for Skubal

[Shelton]

49 minutes ago, gehringer_2 said:

we can agree to disagree but I'm really curious as to what sense in which you think this is true. The NFL cap is $279M and every team is below it and the team furthest from the cap is $50M away, which is also drastically smaller range than across MLB teams.

The teams are below it because they do the necessary accounting and restructuring to make the numbers add up to a number that is below the cap. Then the next year the cap goes up againand everyone restructures again to the extent necessary and uses other creative accounting and, surprise, they all end up under the cap. The NFL cap is not a hard cap. There are numerous ways to get around it. It’s not stopping dynastic teams from staying together and getting their players paid.  
 

All that said, I firmly believe that MLB teams are not forced to allow guys to walk or to trade them due to an inability to pay them. I think owners like to make as much money as possible, and they don’t want to take money from their bottom line to pay for 30 year old free agents that might provide a couple marginal wins. 

[gehringer_2]

12 minutes ago, Shelton said:

The teams are below it because they do the necessary accounting and restructuring to make the numbers add up to a number that is below the cap.

No question that since the cap keeps going up it does allow teams to restructure and push cap hit out into the future. 

The smart (and fair) thing that the NFL did was agree to a fixed revenue split with the players - which is what has been driving the cap up and bought them enough labor peace the get a cap of any kind in place. Baseball owners have always refused to operate their baseball business transparently, or even pseudo-transparently, and that will continue to cost them in terms of the level of union intransigence they face.

Edited December 19, 2025 by gehringer_2

[RatkoVarda]

not sure we need or want another Skubal article, but Cody dropped another one today, basically comparing Bets, Soto, and Pedro trades to Skubal's situation

this is a good quote

“In some ways,” Cubs executive Carter Hawkins recently said, “if you’re always on one of the particular sides of a deal like that — like the quote-unquote ‘Tucker side’ or the ‘prospect side’ — if you do that over and over and over again, it’s probably not good for your organizational health.

“If you’re never, ever taking on risk in terms of giving future talent away, you might miss the chance for some upside seasons. And vice versa — if you’re always just accumulating asset value, you never actually have that come to fruition.”

[chasfh]

17 hours ago, RatkoVarda said:

not sure we need or want another Skubal article, but Cody dropped another one today, basically comparing Bets, Soto, and Pedro trades to Skubal's situation

this is a good quote

“In some ways,” Cubs executive Carter Hawkins recently said, “if you’re always on one of the particular sides of a deal like that — like the quote-unquote ‘Tucker side’ or the ‘prospect side’ — if you do that over and over and over again, it’s probably not good for your organizational health.

“If you’re never, ever taking on risk in terms of giving future talent away, you might miss the chance for some upside seasons. And vice versa — if you’re always just accumulating asset value, you never actually have that come to fruition.”

This is one of the more ingenious insights I’ve seen into the business.

[AlaskanTigersFan]

https://thatballsouttahere.com/phillies-most-painful-trade-could-make-before-spring-training-tarik-skubal - Yes please. (Won't happen but at least another writer is almost dead on with what I'm saying!)

[Tiger337]

2 hours ago, AlaskanTigersFan said:

https://thatballsouttahere.com/phillies-most-painful-trade-could-make-before-spring-training-tarik-skubal - Yes please. (Won't happen but at least another writer is almost dead on with what I'm saying!)

Just another random blogger.  

[chasfh]

100% Tarik Skubal ain’t going anywhere in 2026, and 50% he ain’t going anywhere after that.

[HeyAbbott]

On 12/31/2025 at 8:43 AM, chasfh said:

100% Tarik Skubal ain’t going anywhere in 2026, and 50% he ain’t going anywhere after that.

Skubal plays here in '26, walks in '27. It is as simple as that. The only thing that bugs me about this is the Tigers, knowing this, haven't got one more bat to make a better playoff run likely.

[chasfh]

7 minutes ago, HeyAbbott said:

Skubal plays here in '26, walks in '27. It is as simple as that. The only thing that bugs me about this is the Tigers, knowing this, haven't got one more bat to make a better playoff run likely.

I don't think it's that simple, but it's a reasonable take if you think it is.

As for the bat: we might already have the bats in house. yeah, I know prospects fail all the time yada yada, but since the guy got us to the LDS two years in a row by surprise, I am giving Harris all the latitude that has earned him to continue to bring his plan to fruition. And if the plan calls for leaning on the talent we have in house, plus strategic pickups from the market, to get us back into the playoffs and hopefully to the next level in 2026, then I'm on board. If it utterly fails and we miss the playoffs this year in such a way that it's obvious it's due to his inertia, then I will join in the chorus of boos.

[HeyAbbott]

10 minutes ago, chasfh said:

I don't think it's that simple, but it's a reasonable take if you think it is.

As for the bat: we might already have the bats in house. yeah, I know prospects fail all the time yada yada, but since the guy got us to the LDS two years in a row by surprise, I am giving Harris all the latitude that has earned him to continue to bring his plan to fruition. And if the plan calls for leaning on the talent we have in house, plus strategic pickups from the market, to get us back into the playoffs and hopefully to the next level in 2026, then I'm on board. If it utterly fails and we miss the playoffs this year in such a way that it's obvious it's due to his inertia, then I will join in the chorus of boos.

I don't have much argument except I think the lineup is one bat shy. Maybe it is found in-house. Maybe it's not. I am looking forward to the '26 season. As far as Skubal is concerned, I think it is wiser to focus solely on his 2026 contributions.

[Tiger337]

12 minutes ago, chasfh said:

I don't think it's that simple, but it's a reasonable take if you think it is.

As for the bat: we might already have the bats in house. yeah, I know prospects fail all the time yada yada, but since the guy got us to the LDS two years in a row by surprise, I am giving Harris all the latitude that has earned him to continue to bring his plan to fruition. And if the plan calls for leaning on the talent we have in house, plus strategic pickups from the market, to get us back into the playoffs and hopefully to the next level in 2026, then I'm on board. If it utterly fails and we miss the playoffs this year in such a way that it's obvious it's due to his inertia, then I will join in the chorus of boos.

I think Harris has a good overall plan for the organization, but he sure hasn't gained my faith as far as planning playoff runs! He gave up on the season in 2024 (which was probably the right thing to do long term) and they pulled off a miracle that will never be repeated in most of our lifetimes.  He added practically nothing at the deadline in 2025 and they had an epic collapse.  This off-season is looking like another dud so far.  Hopefully his overall plan starts to kick in with McGonigle and maybe some other young players giving them a boost.  

[Tiger337]

7 minutes ago, HeyAbbott said:

I don't have much argument except I think the lineup is one bat shy. Maybe it is found in-house. Maybe it's not. I am looking forward to the '26 season. As far as Skubal is concerned, I think it is wiser to focus solely on his 2026 contributions.

I think they need a starter more than a bat.  I have little faith that Olson will be healthy, Melton is a question mark and I am not excited about Drew Anderson.  I'd like to see more offense too, but there is a better chance they get in-house help there than in the rotation.  

[casimir]

28 minutes ago, Tiger337 said:

I think they need a starter more than a bat.  I have little faith that Olson will be healthy, Melton is a question mark and I am not excited about Drew Anderson.  I'd like to see more offense too, but there is a better chance they get in-house help there than in the rotation.  

Agreed.  I'm not sold on the pitching depth for the 2026 season.  I think there are enough pieces and parts to out a reasonable offense on the field.

[chasfh]

1 hour ago, Tiger337 said:

I think Harris has a good overall plan for the organization, but he sure hasn't gained my faith as far as planning playoff runs! He gave up on the season in 2024 (which was probably the right thing to do long term) and they pulled off a miracle that will never be repeated in most of our lifetimes.  He added practically nothing at the deadline in 2025 and they had an epic collapse.  This off-season is looking like another dud so far.  Hopefully his overall plan starts to kick in with McGonigle and maybe some other young players giving them a boost.  

That’s fine. Three years is too long for some people to give him. Get him out of there, next man up. We’re gonna die soon so come on hop to it already. I get it.

I’m willing to give him more time to let the plan unspool.

[chasfh]

1 hour ago, Tiger337 said:

I think they need a starter more than a bat.  I have little faith that Olson will be healthy, Melton is a question mark and I am not excited about Drew Anderson.  I'd like to see more offense too, but there is a better chance they get in-house help there than in the rotation.  

Anyone in particular on your wish list?

Edited 8 hours ago by chasfh

[AlaskanTigersFan]

Is anyone worried the Tigers miss the playoffs all together? Remember they had the 15th best offense in baseball last year and the drop off from 10 to 15 was ENORMOUS! The Tigers without Skubal would have been top 10, but with him were top four. 

If the Tigers miss the playoffs, an we get one draft pick instead of three to four bona fide top prospects/young players in MLB, how pissed will you be? 

I still think if Harris doesn't trade Skubal, he sets the franchise back a decade into mediocrity. We become Angels 2.0 after the Ohtani debacle. History will repeat it seems. 

[chasfh]

3 minutes ago, AlaskanTigersFan said:

Is anyone worried the Tigers miss the playoffs all together? Remember they had the 15th best offense in baseball last year and the drop off from 10 to 15 was ENORMOUS! The Tigers without Skubal would have been top 10, but with him were top four. 

If the Tigers miss the playoffs, an we get one draft pick instead of three to four bona fide top prospects/young players in MLB, how pissed will you be? 

I still think if Harris doesn't trade Skubal, he sets the franchise back a decade into mediocrity. We become Angels 2.0 after the Ohtani debacle. History will repeat it seems. 

Looks like everyone is worried they're going to miss the playoffs!

When's daddy coming home?

[Tiger337]

20 minutes ago, chasfh said:

Anyone in particular on your wish list?

Yes

[Tiger337]

15 minutes ago, chasfh said:

Looks like everyone is worried they're going to miss the playoffs!

When's daddy coming home?

I think they have a good chance of making it, so I'd like them to improve their chances while skubal is still here.  

[Dan Gilmore]

2 hours ago, casimir said:

Agreed.  I'm not sold on the pitching depth for the 2026 season.  I think there are enough pieces and parts to out a reasonable offense on the field.

Another decent starter and a solid LH bullpen addition would be good.

[casimir]

4 minutes ago, Dan Gilmore said:

Another decent starter and a solid LH bullpen addition would be good.

A guy like Chris Bassitt would help the rotation and shouldn’t command an onerous contract.

[casimir]

56 minutes ago, AlaskanTigersFan said:

Is anyone worried the Tigers miss the playoffs all together?

Nope.

[Tiger337]

1 hour ago, AlaskanTigersFan said:

Is anyone worried

Not worried, but missing the playoffs is a real possibility.  

[Tigermojo]

Injury can decimate any team but if healthy, Greene, Tork and Carpenter are all entering their primes and are motivated to cash in once they reach free agency. They have a good supporting cast and their baserunning secret weapon has paid off so far.

[Tiger337]

2 hours ago, chasfh said:

That’s fine. Three years is too long for some people to give him. Get him out of there, next man up. We’re gonna die soon so come on hop to it already. I get it.

I’m willing to give him more time to let the plan unspool.

I think most opinions here fall somewhere between "get him out of here" and being 100% satisfied with what he's doing.  I may be closer to the latter than you think, but I still would like to see him do more.