Tarik Skubal made his lone World Baseball Classic start, but the experience was enough to convince him he wants to make another. Skubal had initially planned to make one start and get back to the Detroit Tigers. However, after that start, which led to a 9-1 win for Team USA, he is not so sure what he should do.
Tarik Skubal may return for Team USA
It is an important year for Tarik Skubal. He’s the back-to-back AL Cy Young, and he’s in a contract year, represented by Scott Boras. He’s about to be paid an incredible amount. That all changes if he gets hurt, especially while not with the Tigers.
Of course, the World Baseball Classic is a big deal. Stars want to play in it, regardless of their contract situation. Edwin Diaz famously got hurt and missed all of a season for the New York Mets in 2023. But his then-teammate Francisco Lindor said the WBC was bigger than the World Series, so there’s a complex relationship between the WBC and players.
After seeing what it was like to play for Team USA with some of baseball’s best players, Skubal is reconsidering after a few innings on the mound. “I didn’t expect these types of emotions to run through my brain or my thoughts to differ,” Skubal said via ESPN. “I was pretty committed to making a start and getting back to camp.
“Things have changed, obviously. That’s why I’m going to have some conversations and try to figure out a plan for me. But yeah, I don’t know either way,” he added. Skubal said that he’d had conversations with Boras and with the Tigers. However, he added that he wasn’t in the right mental state to truly make a decision.
Tigers manager AJ Hinch said, “I don’t think anything’s been determined. I think he’s incredibly emotional about the experience. It’s a difficult time that weighs heavily on players because they want to do it all.”
Team USA is happy either way
As for Team USA, they were happy just to get Skubal for one start. “They’ve been extremely supportive of everything,” Skubal said. “They totally get what’s going on with my situation — it’s unique. I’ve had these discussions with people, and most of it is — they’re extremely supportive of me being here in the first place. And I’ve got a ton of respect for that.”
Skubal admitted it’s “hard” to willingly walk away when in “these environments” and with this sort of talent around him. “It’s hard to walk away from that,” he said. Not that the Tigers are bad, but they won’t be backing him with nine runs thanks to Aaron Judge, Kyle Schwarber, Bryce Harper, and some of the other best hitters in the sport.
Perhaps ironically, Skubal gave up a first-pitch home run to Nate Eaton. However, he settled in after that.”My legs were a little light there early in the game, and that means you’re in a really cool environment,” the Tigers ace said. “This is one of those games that there’s just different emotions that run through you that don’t really run through you when you’re playing in the big leagues.”
Should Skubal leave Team USA, they are prepared with depth to handle a departure. Paul Skenes and Logan Webb have already made starts (or will today). The Americans also have Nolan MacLean, Clayton Kershaw, Matthew Boyd, Clay Holmes, and others to step in.
Of course, none of those players is nearly as good as Tarik Skubal. However, Team USA won’t be totally out of luck if Skubal does decide to return to the Tigers. Should he decide to prioritize their season and his potential future contract, they’d be just fine.
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