Tarik Skubal keeps saying it: he doesn’t want to be traded

The big name to watch on the trade market will clearly be Tarik Skubal of the Tigers.

After all, if he were to actually leave, no other player (whether on loan or with remaining years of control) traded would hold a candle to him.

Major League Baseball insiders are watching to see how this plays out. Which players from World Series-contending teams might be headed to Detroit in exchange for Skubal?

We know the Tigers will be targeting pitchers with remaining years of control as well as top prospects. It makes sense… and teams are doing their homework.

But what does the player himself think?

On that front, his opinion hasn't changed. Even though his team isn't in the best position to make the playoffs, he doesn't want to leave. It's not the first time he's said this, and ultimately it's not up to him to decide, but he reiterated it yesterday.

What will help determine the outcome is the fact that the Tigers will need to get back into the race more decisively to truly justify keeping him.

The team won last night, but as of this morning, they're still four games out of the playoffs. And they need to overtake five teams to qualify in the American League.

At this point, we know what's at stake. Does Detroit want to push for a win this year at the expense of the future, or does the team want to set itself up for 2027 and beyond?

We'll have the answer by August 3, I imagine.

• The standings in the National League.

• Adrian Morejon, the best reliever traded?

• Um…

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