ESPN's Buster Onley: Tigers should add, not trade Tarik Skubal

· Yahoo Sports

The Detroit Tigers will face one big question over the next couple of weeks: Should they deal lefty ace Tarik Skubal before the Aug. 3 trade deadline?

According to ESPN MLB insider Buster Olney, appearing on a July 15 episode of "First Take," the answer is clear: absolutely not.

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"Since the beginning of June, [the Tigers] are 22-14. That's a 99-win pace," he said. "If the Tigers get into the postseason, they could do some damage. They could be like the Texas Rangers of 2023 who went on to win the World Series. So I think the Tigers should add rather than trade Skubal away for value."

At 44-52, the Tigers have the fourth-worst record in the American League as they stand in fourth place (6½ games back) in the AL Central. And while Detroit is 3½ games back in the AL wild card race, they would need to jump six teams over the last 2½ months of the regular season to get a wild card spot.

But as Olney points out, there are signs that Detroit could still compete. The team's run differential is at plus-24, which is fifth best in the AL. FanGraphs currently gives them a 26.9% chance to make the playoffs, while the team will likely return impact players in pitcher Jackson Jobe and second baseman Gleyber Torres before the deadline.

MONARREZ: The 1 big reason Tigers should trade ace Tarik Skubal at MLB deadline

Skubal has shared Olney's opinion about the Tigers, saying that Detroit is "a really good team" and that the front office should focus on adding players before the deadline. Still, many analysts think the Tigers would be better off trading Skubal, including Olney's debate partner Chris Russo.

"They are not going to sit there and win the World Series. They can't let [Skubal] walk for nothing. They have to trade him," Russo said. "He's not going to re-sign with the Tigers under any circumstances. He's playing out his options to get $400 million, and the Tigers can't afford that. And so having him here for this last year, it's almost stupid."

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You can reach Christian at [email protected].

This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: ESPN's Buster Onley: Tigers should add, not trade Tarik Skubal

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