Skubal warns Tigers: 'Play better or else' before Aug.
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- Tarik Skubal told The Detroit News that if the Tigers don't play better, the front office will have 'an option to reassess where this team is' and 'the whole team is going to look different' before the Aug. 3 MLB trade deadline.
- Skubal is making his second start Friday since an innovative May 6 surgical procedure to remove bone fragments from his elbow; the two-time defending AL Cy Young Award winner is set to enter free agency after this season.
- The Detroit Tigers entered Friday at 30-44, 9½ games behind the Chicago White Sox in the AL Central and 6½ games out of the final AL wild-card spot.
- Skubal is among Detroit's pending free agents after this season, a group that also includes Kenley Jansen, Casey Mize, Gleyber Torres and Jack Flaherty.
- The Tigers host the division-leading White Sox for a three-game series this weekend, with Skubal noting 'you don't want to be playing playoff baseball in June, but it feels like we're playing playoff baseball.'
Why it matters: Skubal's combination of a two-time Cy Young résumé, post-surgery return, and pending free agency makes him the most attractive rental on the market — so a continued slide over the next six weeks could force the Tigers to either trade their ace for prospects or risk losing him to free agency for nothing.
