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Tigers' Shaky Rotation Plan After Tarik Skubal Trade

Mandatory Credit: David Reginek-Imagn Images

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Tigers' Shaky Rotation Plan After Tarik Skubal Trade

Originally posted on Lindy's Sports | By Larry Fleisher | Last updated Aug 3, 2026 2:24 PM ET

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Hitting high velocity pitches is among the most challenging things for any player to do and so is harnessing command to dominate on the mound.

For managers, the easiest thing is writing a star player’s name into the lineup card like Aaron Boone is waiting to do whenever Aaron Judge returns from a fractured rib. The other easy thing to do for managers is handing the ball to an ace pitcher, which Detroit Tigers manager A.J. Hinch did with Tarik Skubal for 143 regular-season starts.

The last instance was Wednesday afternoon against the Orioles.Skubal’s next start will be his debut for the Dodgers against the Cubs in Wrigley Field on Tuesday, and since the trade was reported and announced, one of Hinch’s duties is now finding someone to take Skubal’s start while the next front-line starter develops in the minors.

How can the Tigers replace Skubal?

When Cleveland traded CC Sabathia to Milwaukee on July 7, 2008, they had a replacement in waiting in Cliff Lee, who went on to become a 22-game winner. A year later, when Lee was traded to Philadelphia, there was little depth as evidenced by a 65-97 finish.

Whether the Tigers are equipped to handle Skubal’s absence is the great unknown, but they did sign Framber Valdez. Valdez’s 6-7 record with a 4.41 ERA hardly screams ace, but he has proven in the past by winning 17 games with Houston in 2022 and 15 two years later.

Another pitcher who could be up for the task is Troy Melton. Melton pitched well last season in 16 games (four starts), but on a smaller scale, is producing numbers similar to Skubal's, going 6-1 with a 1.75 ERA in 11 starts, thanks to a four-seam fastball that held hitters to a .190 average and averaged 96 mph.

Melton’s numbers are appealing to fantasy owners, and the fastball is part of an impressive six-pitch mix where only the sinker is getting hit well at a .286 clip. His cutter is even better than the fastball since hitters are 4-for-49 (.082) off the pitch, and his slider is not too shabby since opponents are hitting .204 against the pitch, or 12 points higher than the 5-for-26 mark off the split-fingered fastball.

Jul 10, 2026; Detroit, Michigan, USA; Detroit Tigers starting pitcher Jack Flaherty (9) throws a pitch against the Philadelphia Phillies in the first inning at Comerica Park. Mandatory Credit: Lon Horwedel-Imagn Images Mandatory Credit: Lon Horwedel-Imagn Images

What about Jack Flaherty?

Two years ago, the Tigers traded Jack Flaherty to the Dodgers in a move viewed as throwing in the towel, and still made the playoffs with Skubal’s dominance and a patchwork rotation.

After helping the Dodgers win the World Series over the Yankees, Flaherty returned to Detroit on a two-year, $35 million contract.

Flaherty is on an expiring contract but also on the injured list with right forearm and flexor inflammation. The belief is he can return by mid-August. If he does, Detroit will need improvement from his 3-8 record, 4.59 ERA, and 94 ERA-plus. His shaky performance has occurred after suffering 15 losses in 2025.

Recent outings are showing Flaherty’s stuff may be on the upswing. He was 0-7 through May when the Tigers were well under .500. In seven starts since then, Flaherty is 3-1 with a 2.67 ERA.

Still, elbows can be tricky as it took Max Fried two months to return to the Yankees, and Carlos Rodon is approaching the one-month mark since going on IL.

Skubal may not be the only pitcher traded by Tigers

Skubal’s departure may not be the only one from Detroit’s rotation. Casey Mize is also a free agent and was scratched from a scheduled start on Friday ahead of a possible trade.

So far Skubal, Freddy Peralta and Kevin Gausman, are the only prominent starting pitchers to move ahead of Monday’s deadline and is expected a second wave of starters get moved Monday.

Mize dealt with injuries, including missing all of 2023 recovering from Tommy John surgery, but enjoyed a breakout season by going 14-6 and getting named as an All-Star game replacement for Garrett Crochet.

Mize won 14 games despite allowing a .297 average on his splitter and a .254 mark on his four-seamer. Although he is 4-6 (mostly due to poor run support), Mize is allowing a .202 mark on his fastball and a .213 clip on his splitter along with a .192 average on a strong slider.

All of those make teams like the Braves and Diamondbacks interested in trading for him, but if he does not go, Mize becomes the top starter for a team with a 3.59 ERA among its starters.

Is anyone in the minors the next Skubal?

The famous saying is prospects are suspects until proven otherwise, and Skubal fits the description as a ninth-round pick, producing uneven results in 2020 and 2021.

The Tigers will not know who becomes the next ace from the minor league system until someone emerges. Detroit’s top four prospects are hitters, and newly acquired River Ryan is their highest-rated prospect according to MLB.com, followed by Ben Jacobs (4.46 ERA at High-A) and Malachi Witherspoon, who is in A-Ball.

Ryan is the only top-30 prospect in AAA, and No. 11 Andrew Sears and No. 20 Jake Miller are the only ones at Double-A.

In other words, it is hard to gauge if any of these names pan out like Skubal, but without the two-time Cy Young award winner, Tiger fans may find themselves checking minor league stats more often than in the past.

This article first appeared on Lindy's Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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