Tarik Skubal was always leaving. Here's when he knew "that was it for me in Detroit."

Tarik Skubal and the Tigers were long headed for divorce. It was just a matter of when, and how. The why was clear to both sides from the start: Skubal wanted more than the Tigers were willing to give him.

In theory, Skubal wanted to stay -- at his price. In theory, the Tigers wanted to keep him -- at theirs. In reality, Skubal was always headed to the highest bidder, led by his agent Scott Boras, so the Tigers held an auction before Skubal holds his own. They traded him to the Dodgers for a trio of prospects, two of whom come highly touted and should soon be in Detroit.

It was obvious to the Tigers "very early on" in this relationship, Scott Harris said Monday after the trade deadline, that a long-term agreement with Skubal wasn't realistic.

"There were some dynamics at play. You guys all know them," Harris said. "It was pretty clear pretty early that we were not going to be able to extend Tarik," said Harris.

One of those dynamics, of course, was Boras, who almost always takes his clients to market. The Tigers did little to make Boras or Skubal think twice in brief extension talks two years ago, and Skubal's camp seemed to have zero interest in re-engaging after that. The strongest dynamic at play was the shared unwillingness to compromise.

"We explored an extension once," Harris said. "The response that I got from Tarik’s agent was pretty clear that he was intent on going to free agency and exploring the market, which is totally his right and nobody should be upset about that. He has put himself in a position to do that and should not not be criticized for it. But it was very clear from the exchange what the intentions were."

Skubal could sign for upwards of $400 million this winter. He will likely become the highest-paid pitcher in baseball, topping Zach Wheeler of the Phillies who makes $45 million per year. The Tigers aren't wrong for balking at such terms for a pitcher who turns 30 in November with three arm surgeries in his wake. There's a good chance that a long-term deal for Skubal won't age well. Some organizations are just better equipped to absorb that risk than others.

But the Tigers aren't right if they never came to Skubal with a good-faith offer, if they never proposed a salary that would have reflected his stature as the best pitcher in baseball. The length of the deal might not have been to Skubal's liking. But perhaps he would have listened if the dollars were honest. Detroit's reported offer of four years, $75 million, even to cover two of Skubal's arbitration years, is a disingenuous starting point, at best.

The Tigers did invest in Skubal's final season. Give them credit for that. They spent heavily last winter to maximize their last chance to win with Skubal on the roster, entering the year with a top-10 payroll and their highest in franchise history. It just blew up in their face. Injuries were a culprit. So were some of their biggest signings, from starters Framber Valdez and Justin Verlander to relievers Kenley Jansen and Drew Anderson.

"Coupling the injuries and the effect that it had on our play, with the notion that we didn't really have a chance to sign Tarik to a long-term deal beyond this year, it just made it very clear that the right decision for us in this moment was to make this trade and add the high-impact young talent that we felt like we could get in return," said Harris.

Frankly, they could have made such a trade much sooner. They could have dealt Skubal as soon as it became apparent that he wasn't long for Detroit. It would have maximized their return, versus selling him as a rental. It also would have minimized Skubal's impact on the Tigers at the peak of his powers.

As Harris recalled, "The predominant story leading up to the deadline (in 2024) was, 'The Tigers need to trade Tarik Skubal. They’re wasting his control. They're never going to win with him. They should maximize these control years and trade him in 2024."

"We didn't do that," he said. "We made the playoffs in 2024. We made the playoffs again in 2025 and we intended to make the playoffs in 2026, and we might still make the playoffs in 2026. But at this point, it felt like it was really important for us to make that hard decision. We didn't go into the season intending to trade him. If anything, it was the opposite. We had opportunities to trade him this winter and we chose not to because we tried to win the World Series here."

The season veered off the rails in May, and the Tigers never got it entirely back on track. They came close, as recently as their last homestand when they pulled within four games of .500 after a gem by Skubal on a Friday night. Harris was still weighing the possibility of adding at the deadline.

The Tigers had five games to come against the Royals and Orioles. They led in several of them, won one of them. The final blow was fitting, the Tigers collapsing after Skubal walked off the Comerica Park mound for the last time as a Tiger, Detroit leading 7-1 in the seventh. It became a 10-9 loss. The Tigers' bullpen, even more than the injuries, has been their biggest undoing.

Harris said he "didn’t formally make the decision (to sell) until after the Baltimore series."

"I wanted to give this team every opportunity to make a really compelling case that we shouldn't do this. And we just didn't make that case. It's not on the players. It's not on the coaches. It's on me. If there's anyone you should point to, it's me. We didn't collectively make this case compelling enough to add to this team or not subtract from this team, because it costs real parts of your future to decide to hold."

Skubal lobbied for the Tigers to add while they clawed their way back into the race. He felt their record belied their talent. He had never entered a season with such excitement, and he wanted to see it through. But Skubal could sense the end last Wednesday. He wasn't surprised when it arrived, officially, a few days later.

"It became pretty clear what was going on, later on after my start on Wednesday. Losing that game kind of felt like that was it for me in Detroit," Skubal told reporters Monday in LA. "So, not surprised, but it didn't make the news any easier because I love a lot of those guys there and got a lot of respect for how they go about their business. Those guys are not just my teammates. A lot of those guys are my best friends on and off the field, so I wish them nothing but the best. I'll be rooting for them unless we’re playing them."

Harris and the Tigers have high hopes for Zyhir Hope, who could be in Detroit's outfield as soon as next season. He's a dynamic athlete with real power. They are bullish on pitcher River Ryan, believing he has the ability to be a front-line starter: "In terms of raw talent, he is as gifted as anyone we have in the whole organization," Harris said. Ryan might even boost their bullpen this season, once he returns from a hamstring injury.

Of course, the Tigers traded the most gifted pitcher in baseball to get here. Skubal said he'll always hold a special place in his heart for Detroit and the organization that drafted him in 2018, but now he's helping the Dodgers chase history.

"The entire focus of this organization is on winning championships, and that’s my entire focus in playing baseball," he said. "So we’re very much aligned, and I’m ready to go out there and give this organization and this city everything that I’ve got."

The Tigers wouldn't give him everything he wanted. Skubal and Boras wouldn't give them a discount. Two Cy Young awards and two playoff runs later, Skubal is out the door as the Tigers try to open another window of contention.