Tarik Skubal gets honest about losing Jack Flaherty to the Dodgers midway through 2024

Tarik Skubal and Jack Flaherty formed a formidable one-two punch at the start of the rotation for the Detroit Tigers last season. However, their pairing was broken when Flaherty was traded to the LA Dodgers ahead of the deadline following inconsistent results for the team.

Skubal, appearing on "The Bret Boone" podcast, opened up about losing his teammate to another team and its overall impact on the Tigers. Flaherty went to LA in exchange for prospects Thayron Liranzo and Trey Sweeney.

Skubal said (beginning at the 4:47 mark):

"When Jack was traded, obviously it sucks being a part of a team that is selling because that's all you want to do is win. My experience in the big leagues, I've been a part of four sellers, so it's not a great feeling."

"The week after we trade Jack, I think we lost six of seven, and you could kind of just see the vibes weren't great. It kind of was going to shape up to be just another one of those summers."

The 2024 AL Cy Young winner also pointed out that Flaherty's leadership in the clubhouse helped build camaraderie among the younger players on the roster. The 29-year-old's departure, however, sparked a turnaround, and the Tigers eventually made the playoffs with 86 wins.

"(Jack) was fun to be around, so when you lose a guy like that, he was a great teammate too," Skubal said (8:33 mark). You know, he always took care of the guys, took us out to dinners. We're a young team, so financially, someone has to pick up the tabs and stuff, and he was the guy that did that."

"So when we lost him, I was looking around the room like, 'Damn, I think I’ve got to pick these ones up.' But yeah, he was fun, and when you lose a guy like that, it sucks, but it kind of did give us a little bit of a spark."

Jack Flaherty's future still in doubt amid free agency

Jack Flaherty has been part of four different teams in the last two years. He has finally hit free agency at the age of 29. Since his debut in the 2018 season, he has compiled a 55-41 record with a career 3.63 ERA. Those are decent numbers to keep a few clubs interested in signing his services.

Flaherty and Skubal could reunite with the Tigers, one of the teams linked to the right-hander. Other teams include the San Francisco Giants, Toronto Blue Jays and Chicago Cubs.

The pitcher has been posting cryptic messages on his X account, signaling that time is running out in his sweepstakes.