“I have no control in it, so it is what it is” – Tigers ace Tarik Skubal gives insight into being mentioned in trade deadline rumors

Although the Detroit Tigers find themselves out of postseason contention, starter Tarik Skubal has emerged as one of the best pitchers in the MLB this season. The 27-year-old southpaw has been magnificent on the mound, racking up wins and strikeouts en route to a potential AL Cy Young Award.

Yet, the Detroit Tigers' struggle to climb their way up the standings brought trade rumors for a number of the team's top stars at the trade deadline. It was Skubal who reportedly drew the most interest among the Tigers players however a trade never came to fruition.

On an episode of Foul Territory on Tuesday, the Tigers superstar discussed the trade rumors.

"I don't know how true much of it was. I have no control over it, so it is what it is. That's kind of what I think about it," Skubal continued, explaining that he tried his best to remain himself despite the rumors.

"You can make it stressful as a player if you're really worried where you're going," the All-Star said of the trade deadline. "I try to just focus on taking the mound and being me out there," he explained.

"Tigers trade deadline takeaways: Tarik Skubal was 'not close' to getting moved and more" - @TheAthleticDET

Even though Tarik Skubal never ended up being traded, he remains locked in for the Detroit Tigers. If the trade rumor discussion bothered him, you'd never tell as Skubal has not missed a beat this season.

The Tigers were active at the deadline despite not moving Tarik Skubal

While the Tigers never received a trade offer worthy of moving on from Skubal, they did remain rather active. It was an important trade deadline for the Tigers as they did not lose a major piece of the future, instead opting to move some of their aging veterans before potentially losing them for nothing.

Detroit made several significant moves, trading away the likes of Jack Flaherty, Mark Canha, and Andrew Chafin. While the return on some of the moves may not be game-changing, trading veterans can be significant for a rebuilding ball club. They may not be contenders next season. However, it may not be long before the Tigers pounce for a postseason spot.