2026 Trade deadline

[Tenacious D]

I genuinely think Skubal enjoyed playing in Detroit and would come back if the offer was ridiculous.  However, I think he said what he did to make him seem like a good guy.

Agree that his timing was a bit off as he joins a new team.

[holygoat]

9 hours ago, AlaskanTigersFan said:

That's what I'm saying!!!!! These two are studs. And Brady Smith is no slouch either! (I still think Hope is the best but an argument for sure can be made that Ryan is up there). 

[oblong]

51 minutes ago, holygoat said:

I was having similar vibes 

[Jason_R]

14 hours ago, gehringer_2 said:

except it doesn't work that way. Owners don't pay players from their personal checkbooks, they pay them out of team revenues. Boras might like a team's fans to think that way to create public pressure, but of course he knows better.

Tell this to the Pirates. Nutting doesn’t have other significant business interests beyond the Pirates and needs to maximize profit from year to year. So he keeps the payroll low and hasn’t been to the playoffs in a decade. 

It is hard to know what is going on with Boras and Ilitch and Skubal and Harris. It clearly seems that Skubal’s heart is in Detroit. But I also have no doubt that Boras was behind the Skubal Detroit PR love-fest last year. And Ilitch and Harris clearly demonstrated that they were willing to break the $35 million mark with the Valdez contract. Boras didn’t become Boras without growing the payroll pie. 

[Tiger337]

13 minutes ago, Jason_R said:

Tell this to the Pirates. Nutting doesn’t have other significant business interests beyond the Pirates and needs to maximize profit from year to year. So he keeps the payroll low and hasn’t been to the playoffs in a decade. 

It is hard to know what is going on with Boras and Ilitch and Skubal and Harris. It clearly seems that Skubal’s heart is in Detroit. But I also have no doubt that Boras was behind the Skubal Detroit PR love-fest last year. And Ilitch and Harris clearly demonstrated that they were willing to break the $35 million mark with the Valdez contract. Boras didn’t become Boras without growing the payroll pie. 

I think it's possible for Skubal to really want to play for the Tigers and get a record breaking contract at the same time.  He should probably stop talking about it though, because it's not going to sound genuine to most fans.   

[IdahoBert]

I just can’t see the wisdom in giving a gigantic long-term contract to a man who will next year be 30 years old who’s had multiple arm surgeries. Same goes for Mize. I have moved on.

I am all for the youth movement, even though they’re often returning from various surgeries or will inevitably face them.

I’m willing to live with the fact that the Tigers will never be in the upper tier of the handful of teams that can spend this kind of money.

I’m also tired of believing that winning the World Series is the only reason for a club’s existence. This is easy for me because I have enjoyed World Series championships twice in my life and it’s great and I want that for all the rest of you who have not experienced it.

But for me personally, the drama of the day in day out grit and joy and disappointment of the game is reward enough. I’m OK with downsizing my expectations and being cool with what happens. And it’s not like I have much choice in this.

[Tiger337]

1 hour ago, IdahoBert said:

I just can’t see the wisdom in giving a gigantic long-term contract to a man who will next year be 30 years old who’s had multiple arm surgeries. Same goes for Mize. I have moved on.

 

I would not want Skubal back unless he was willing to sign a shorter term deal for a large annual salary.  I do not see him doing that at all.  

[Tiger337]

1 hour ago, IdahoBert said:

I’m also tired of believing that winning the World Series is the only reason for a club’s existence. This is easy for me because I have enjoyed World Series championships twice in my life and it’s great and I want that for all the rest of you who have not experienced it.

 

I agree with this.  I do understand that some have never seen a championship and would like to see one, but I personally don't believe that winning a championship is the only thing that matters.  I want them to have an entertaining team with a chance to win most years, but baseball can still be satisfying without a championship. 

[KL2]

2 hours ago, Jason_R said:

Tell this to the Pirates. Nutting doesn’t have other significant business interests beyond the Pirates 

 

Except that media empire

[Jason_R]

2 hours ago, Tiger337 said:

I think it's possible for Skubal to really want to play for the Tigers and get a record breaking contract at the same time.  He should probably stop talking about it though, because it's not going to sound genuine to most fans.   

When he was still a Tiger, it was hard to tell if the love-fest was genuine or contrived. Now that he's gone it seems like a guy who left his high school sweetheart for a trophy wife but knows his heart will always be with his first love.

[papalawrence]

I watched the LA 97.1 and Dodgers fans are pissed about it. That makes it worthwhile for me

 

[Jason_R]

2 hours ago, KL2 said:

Except that media empire

I guess you could call ownership of a bunch of small town newspapers in Appalachia and the Rust Belt an empire. 

[buddha]

On 8/7/2026 at 2:06 PM, Jason_R said:

Everybody knows that something is broken in the game if only three or four teams can compete for the top level of talent in free agency. Skubal knows this as well.

Nevertheless, that is the world the MLB currently lives in. And I have no doubt that Skubal means what he says about Detroit as a city and an organization. But I cannot imagine loving a city or workplace enough that I would leave $100 million in compensation, or maybe more, on the table. 

As a fan, I would still love to have Skubal the player rejoin the team next year. But also, as a fan, I do not want the team I root for dragged down by a contract that will almost inevitably turn into an anchor. Maybe the new CBA will fix this, even a little. 

evreryone cried last year when they signed kyle tucker.  how can anyone compete!!!!

he's hitting .240 with a .700 ops, is about to turn 30, and is making $50m.  what a great deal!

baseball is just fine and not broken.  however, people bitching about the dodgers is about to lead mlb and the union into armageddon as they kill the goose that laid the golden egg in pursuit of a salary cap that will do nothing but make owners more money and fans to say things are great.

i too look forward to teams losing their best players after 4 years because of a salary cap.  only now they'll lose them to the astros and cardinals instead of the dodgers.  what fun that will be.

[buddha]

notorious big spenders tampa bay and milwaukee currently have the best records in the AL and NL.

not sure how the yankees and mets can be expected to compete.

[KL2]

2 hours ago, Jason_R said:

I guess you could call ownership of a bunch of small town newspapers in Appalachia and the Rust Belt an empire. 

500 some odd million in revenue. 
 

it’s fine to admit that you were wrong. He does have business interest. They’re payroll is that because attendance is low, tv is little and he not a multi billionaire

[KL2]

1 hour ago, buddha said:

evreryone cried last year when they signed kyle tucker.  how can anyone compete!!!!

he's hitting .240 with a .700 ops, is about to turn 30, and is making $50m.  what a great deal!

baseball is just fine and not broken.  however, people bitching about the dodgers is about to lead mlb and the union into armageddon as they kill the goose that laid the golden egg in pursuit of a salary cap that will do nothing but make owners more money and fans to say things are great.

i too look forward to teams losing their best players after 4 years because of a salary cap.  only now they'll lose them to the astros and cardinals instead of the dodgers.  what fun that will be.

The problem is sure Tucker hasn’t been meh it’s that deal doesn’t handcuff them at all. All 29 other teams would have a bad contract and be a bit tight to hand out another, not the dodgers. 

[chasfh]

1 hour ago, KL2 said:

The problem is sure Tucker hasn’t been meh it’s that deal doesn’t handcuff them at all. All 29 other teams would have a bad contract and be a bit tight to hand out another, not the dodgers. 

Yeah, the response also elides that the Dodgers also signed Ohtani, Mookie, Freeman, Yamamoto, Edwin Diaz, Teoscar, Tanner Scott, Tommy Edman. Yeah, they’re not all All-Stars, but the point is the Dodgers can sign them and anyone else they want because of the absurd bankruptcy-aided sweetheart TV contract. They have a right to use that—and who doesn’t want to get paid a fucton of money to play in Hollywood—but then, nobody else has that. It’s all about, do you prefer free-for-all capitalism or do you prefer a regulated marketplace seeking competitive balance?

Edited August 9 by chasfh

[papalawrence]

And Foul Territory national said months ago that Friedman said the Dodgers have already recouped anything owed to Ohtani from the Japanese markets. They are bringing in far more than any other team including the Yankees. 1.1 billion deferred. Not every owner can take those risks

[Jason_R]

3 hours ago, buddha said:

baseball is just fine and not broken.  however, people bitching about the dodgers is about to lead mlb and the union into armageddon as they kill the goose that laid the golden egg in pursuit of a salary cap that will do nothing but make owners more money and fans to say things are great.

The owners think MLB is broken, the players think it is broken, the fans think it is broken, and everyone expects an extended work stoppage but buddha thinks it is fine. 😊

[buddha]

1 hour ago, Jason_R said:

The owners think MLB is broken, the players think it is broken, the fans think it is broken, and everyone expects an extended work stoppage but buddha thinks it is fine. 😊

mlb wants to cap salaries so the owners can make more money.

the players think its broken because the luxury tax disincentivses teams from spending.

the fans think its broken because fans dont really think about history or economics, they just see what's parroted in the press and think its true.

buddha is old and looks at the big picture and thinks for himself.

[buddha]

1 hour ago, chasfh said:

Yeah, the response also elides that the Dodgers also signed Ohtani, Mookie, Freeman, Yamamoto, Edwin Diaz, Teoscar, Tanner Scott, Tommy Edman. Yeah, they’re not all All-Stars, but the point is the Dodgers can sign them and anyone else they want because of the absurd bankruptcy-aided sweetheart TV contract. They have a right to use that—and who doesn’t want to get paid a fucton of money to play in Hollywood—but then, nobody else has that. It’s all about, do you prefer free-for-all capitalism or do you prefer a regulated marketplace seeking competitive balance?

the point is you dont need to sign all those guys to win games. let the dodgers sign them!  good!  

what the dodgers do better than anyone is develop their own talent and then trade it for the skubals of the world.  that's their super power.

the mets spend just as much money and suck every year.

[gehringer_2]

1 hour ago, buddha said:

the fans think its broken because fans dont really think about history or economics, they just see what's parroted in the press and think its true.

 

the fans in most towns think it's broken because most teams can't keep their good players and that undercuts long term fan attachment and ultimately undercuts the game's popularity.

Edited August 9 by gehringer_2

[monkeytargets39]

I’d much rather the players make less and the owners make less, but then a bottle of water doesn’t have to cost me $7 when I go to a game in the summer and have parking actually cost less than my game ticket.  When do we as fans unionize?

Edited August 9 by monkeytargets39

[buddha]

17 minutes ago, gehringer_2 said:

the fans in most towns think it's broken because most teams can't keep their good players and that undercuts long term fan attachment and ultimately undercuts the game's popularity.

fans are wrong about lots of things.  the game remains popular even after free agency began and players began leaving years ago.  this has been going on for a long time now and fans' memories are quite short.

before it was the yankees and now its the dodgers and the mets.

the 80s tigers lost parrish, gibson, and morris.  are they still a popular local team?  methinks so.

perhaps we should bring back the reserve clause so the players can never work where they want?

you get them for nothing for 3 years and then below market for another 3.  then let them go or recoup the loss with younger assets!  its what the successful teams do.  its what the tigers just did with skubal.  its the smart thing to do with a declining asset like a pitcher or a player in their early 30s.

 

[gehringer_2]

20 minutes ago, buddha said:

fans are wrong about lots of things.  the game remains popular even after free agency began and players began leaving years ago.  this has been going on for a long time now and fans' memories are quite short.

before it was the yankees and now its the dodgers and the mets.

the 80s tigers lost parrish, gibson, and morris.  are they still a popular local team?  methinks so.

perhaps we should bring back the reserve clause so the players can never work where they want?

you get them for nothing for 3 years and then below market for another 3.  then let them go or recoup the loss with younger assets!  its what the successful teams do.  its what the tigers just did with skubal.  its the smart thing to do with a declining asset like a pitcher or a player in their early 30s.

 

you and I are old farts - we can rationalize everything.  Tell that to the 10 yr old whose hero is off to NY or LA. He'll never have the experience we had with a Kaline or Trammell and tell me he won't be left feeling indifferent in a couple of decades when he has the money to buy his own tickets 

Edited August 9 by gehringer_2