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Detroit Tigers pitcher Tarik Skubal was rumored to be an exciting trade piece, but it was his teammate, Jack Flaherty, who ended up being traded. He was acquired by the Los Angeles Dodgers in exchange for Thayron Liranzo and Trey Sweeney.
Flaherty was working as a frontline starter for Detroit. However, the Tigers have not been that inspiring this season, leading to being sellers at the deadline. Now, Flaherty gets a chance to shine with a contending team this year.
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Skubal and Flaherty went one and two in the rotation, so the new hole in the rotation is going to be tough to work around. Skubal went on a recent airing of Foul Territory TV to discuss the impact of Flaherty leaving.
"You don't want to be on the team that's trading players, you want to be on the team that's trading for players, and Jack [Flaherty] being the best starter available at the deadline, it obviously sucks losing a player of that caliber," said Skubal.
Not only was Flaherty one of the best pitchers, but he was also a great person. Skubal had nothing but great things to say about his former teammate and wished him nothing but luck with his new squad.
"He's a great dude and great teammate. He took care of everybody on the team, team dinners, all that stuff. I got a ton of respect for him and I'm excited to see what he does in LA," said Skubal.
Tarik Skubal now commands the Tigers' rotation
Tarik Skubal now sits as the lone ace in the Tigers' rotation, and he could be for quite a while. He is under contract until the 2026 season and will be in Detroit for a while unless they trade him.
So far, this has been a career year for the lefty. He has started 23 games, compiling an AL-leading 13-4 record while holding a 2.57 ERA, the lowest in all of baseball.
Skubal is the clear favorite to win the AL Cy Young Award this season. According to DraftKings, he sits with -250 odds while Baltimore Orioles ace Corbin Burnes comes in at second with +230 odds.
A few more impressive starts, and we could see Skubal start to pull away with this one. While Detroit has not been all that competitive, he has been one of the most exciting and consistent arms this year.
