The Detroit Tigers are on the cusp of blowing up the MLB trade market ahead of the Aug. 3 deadline. That's because the club beat the Athletics, 4-1, on Thursday for its fifth straight win.
As a result, the once floundering Tigers are just 4.5 games behind the first-place Chicago White Sox and Cleveland Guardians in the American League West. And they're just 3.5 games back in the AL Wild Card standings.
Until now, the rumor mill had been buzzing with thoughts of Detroit trading ace left-hander Tarik Skubal before the deadline. After all, he's slated to be a free agent after the season and doesn't seem committed to signing a long-term contract with the Tigers. So the team would be better flipping him now and getting something back in return rather than watching him walk away for nothing.
But FanGraphs gives the Tigers a 36.8% chance of making the playoffs. It would be hard for Detroit to justify trading the two-time AL Cy Young Award winner with a postseason slot very much within reach.
"The Tigers are surging, with their offense and starting pitching among the best in baseball," FanSided's Robert Murray wrote Thursday. "Their bullpen is much improved too. If they keep playing like this, the conversation could shift toward the Tigers being buyers, which would give Scott Harris perhaps his toughest decision yet: Give it one last shot with Skubal or trade him before free agency?"
"The Detroit Tigers win again, their 5th in a row, and are now 21-12 since June 1," USA Today's Bob Nightengale noted Thursday. "Sell? They could be buying."
On Monday, ESPN's Jeff Passan and Kiley McDaniel said there's an 85% chance the Tigers will trade Skubal. Have to think those odds are decreasing with every Detroit win.
The Tigers will try to keep the good times rolling Friday when they host the Philadelphia Phillies.