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Tarik Skubal said his preference is to finish the season with the Detroit Tigers and compete for a championship, while knowing his next start could be his last with the team.
“I think we have a chance to win the World Series,” Skubal said Thursday. “I’ve said it since spring training. It’s never changed. That confidence in this team has never changed throughout the entire season. Obviously we put ourselves in a tough situation, but I think we came out of it playing really good baseball.
“In spring training and throughout the offseason, I have never been more motivated to try to win a World Series for this city, the team that drafted me and helped me develop. That’s always been the goal, and that will never change unless I’m told I’m on a different team.”
The Tigers have until Aug. 3 to decide whether they want to keep Skubal, who can become a free agent after the World Series, or trade the two-time Cy Young Award winner in a blockbuster trade to perhaps bolster their future with players and prospects.
Skubal (6-5, 2.83 ERA) is scheduled to pitch against the Kansas City Royals Friday night at Comerica Park and acknowledged it could be his last start for the Tigers.
“Maybe that’s the reality,” he said. “But also five days later there’s another one at home.”
The 29-year-old right-hander underwent surgery on May 6 to remove a loose body from his throwing elbow and returned to the field on June 13.
“The way the operation happened is exactly how it was supposed to happen,” Skubal said. “I don’t know if remarkable is the word I would use.”
Detroit was 22-38 at the start of June and rallied well enough to make the playoff roster as questions swirl about what the franchise will do with Skubal.
“There’s a lot of intrigue around him and the reason is he’s really good,” Tigers manager AJ Hinch said.
Associated Press reporting.
