Tarik Skubal "would love to return" to Tigers in free agency

Tarik Skubal isn't giving up on pitching most of his career in Detroit.

After being dealt last week to the Dodgers, Skubal was asked about the cold reality for Tigers fans that the team had essentially no choice but to trade him with the knowledge that Skubal is headed for a massive payday in free agency this winter.

"It sucks for me, too," Skubal said on the Pardon My Take podcast. "This wasn’t the way the season was supposed to go. Going into the offseason, the players that we acquired, I’m like, this is the World Series team. This is the team that I’m going to go win a World Series and beat anybody (with)."

Instead, the Tigers collapsed in May amid an onslaught of injuries and never recovered enough to convince the front office to keep the roster intact at the trade deadline. Pending free agents Skubal and Casey Mize were sold for prospects.

"So it’s tough from my end, too," Skubal said. "I would love to play my whole career in Detroit, I would love to, and hopefully those negotiations can pick back up in November once the playoffs are done, and we’ll see where that goes. Hopefully they’re involved with everything. I would love to return.

"I got nothing but good things to say about the city of Detroit and the manager, the coaches, the staff, the trainers, the teammates. It’s tough. I’m going to try not to cry right now, but I love all those guys, so hopefully they’re involved in November and we’ll see what happens then."

To be "involved," the Tigers would likely have to be willing to commit at least six years and/or at least $300 million to Skubal, a pitcher who turns 30 in November with three arm surgeries in his wake. That feels unlikely. But Skubal and the fans can dream.

Skubal also talked about the day he was traded and walking off the mound with a 7-1 lead over the Orioles in the seventh inning of an important rubber match, still hoping the Tigers might buy at the deadline. Scott Harris would say later that he didn't decide to sell until after the Tigers blew that lead and lost that series.

"I leave the game 7-1 with two outs in the 7th inning, we’re gonna win the series against Baltimore and then we go to Sacramento and play the A’s and I’m very confident we can win the series there, if not sweep the series, just based on who we had going and how we’re playing baseball ... And if we win that game, I don’t know if I’m traded," Skubal said. "But once we lost that game, I was like, yeah, we just split with the Royals and lost both those games late, we lost a series to Baltimore, it just felt inevitable. And how we lost, too, was pretty defeating. At that point, I kind of knew, like, yeah, I’m gonna get traded. It doesn’t make it any easier, but I figured what was going to happen."

Skubal found out he was traded to the Dodgers a few days later, while getting routine treatment on his arm in the middle of the Tigers' win over the A's.

"Our head trainer came to me and said, 'Hey, you got a second? And I go, 'Yeah, this is where it ends, huh. This is what’s happening.' Took me into a room, Scott (Harris), calls me, 'Hey, we’ve made a trade to the Dodgers.' I’m like, 'Yep, I hear ya.' End that phone call, (Dodgers president Andrew) Friedman calls, 'Hey, excited to have you.'"

Skubal said the rest of the night in Sacramento "became pretty emotional" as he said his farewells to longtime teammates and coaches. He said that going into A.J. Hinch's office was especially hard.

"Closed the doors and I just thanked him for everything, for taking care of me for six years, and then you start saying bye to teammates once the media gets out of (the clubhouse). A lot of those guys are my best friends, and it’s a bunch of men and I’m crying. And I hate crying. I don’t cry a lot. When my wife walked down the aisle I didn’t cry because I was so nervous, and I'm crying in a clubhouse with a bunch of other grown men, saying bye to people and giving everyone a hug," Skubal said. It's tough, it was a lot, but I’m definitely excited to be here (with the Dodgers)."

Skubal also touched on becoming a villain in baseball after joining the two-time defending world champion Dodgers. He was booed loudly at Wrigley Field in his first start with the Dodgers on Tuesday and could face a mixed reception when the Dodgers come to Detroit later this month after a rocky ending to his time with the Tigers.

"I don’t really know what to say, because if I say anything it’ll just be even worse," Skubal said with a laugh. "But I was talking to Kike (Hernandez) last night on our flight and he was like, 'I’ve never seen a guy go from very loved in a place to The Most Hated Player in Baseball.' He said that and I was like, 'Yeah, I guess.'

"The environment in Chicago was awesome. Not only did I get booed walking out, I got booed playing catch, I got booed coming in and I got booed every inning I ran out. And I was like, this is unbelievable. Credit to those fans. Those are good fans. They created such a good environment, and without them our sport would suck. Without people who care about everything like that, all sports would suck."

Skubal went on to say that he loves getting booed "because it means the fans care about beating us, it means they care about their team winning, it means they care about the sport of baseball, and I love our sport. I think it’s awesome entertainment. I think we’re up there -- obviously the NFL is the top dog -- but in terms of professional sports in America I would say we’re a pretty cemented second. It’s fun. It’s great. Whatever environment the fans want to create, do it. I think it’s great for the sport of baseball."