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Tarik Skubal said his preference is to finish the season with the Detroit Tigers and compete for a championship, although he knows 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 that since spring training. That’s never changed. That belief in this team has never changed throughout the season. Obviously we put ourselves in a tough situation, but I think we’ve come out of that situation playing very good baseball.
“Going into spring training and all offseason, I’ve never been more motivated to try to win a World Series for this city, the team that drafted me and helped develop me. 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 to retain Skubal, who can become a free agent after the World Series, or trade the two-time Cy Young Award winner in a blockbuster deal to perhaps bolster their future with players and prospects.
Skubal (6-5, 2.83 ERA) is scheduled to pitch against the Kansas City Royals on Friday night at Comerica Park and acknowledged it could be his last start for the Tigers.
“That could be reality,” he said. “But 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 pitching elbow and returned to pitching on June 13.
“The way the surgery was done is exactly how it was supposed to be,” Skubal said. “I don’t know if remarkable is the word I would use.”
Detroit was 22-38 in early June and has recovered well enough to be in the playoff picture as questions arise 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 information.
