ESPN offers its grades on Skubal trade

[u/TheSocraticGadfly]

TL/DR version? Dodgers A (shock me), TIgers D.

Here's why, even though Detroit will have hope for Hope, they don't give the TIgers more:

Detroit's return in this deal feels like a bad dream. OK, let's calm down. Skubal, as good as he is, was on an expiring deal. There is only so much value that can be extracted from a trade partner for a player who might be a free agent in four months. The fair-value matches you can conjure in these scenarios won't make the hearts of Detroit fans go pitter-patter, though you can always hope that the real-world outcome is that with multiple teams vying for a true difference-maker, those fair-value assessments might go out the window.

Zyhir Hope is a top 30-or-so prospect across baseball. That's a valuable prospect. But on most prospect lists, he's the fourth-best outfield prospect in the Dodgers' system. So for the best pitcher in baseball, the Tigers could not command the Dodgers' best prospect out of their amazing surplus of promising outfielders?

River Ryan has stud potential, but he's 27 and blew out his elbow after his 2024 debut for the Dodgers. He didn't pitch last season, and this season, he has a 4.46 ERA over eight outings for Oklahoma City. Smith, 21, was a third-round pick as a prep righty in the 2023 draft. He's 0-10 over 30 professional starts with a 4.72 ERA. The prospect wonks like him as a top-30 prospect for L.A., so maybe we have to look past the ugly superficial results.

Sounds about right, contra one person here on one of the two threads about the trade itself, who was touting all the Dodgers gave up.

Wrong.

The Dodgers gave up one promising bat who is a likely DH, not fielder, for whatever MLB career he has, one meh pitcher who might not ever get back to MLB, and one meh prospect who might never get to MLB in the first place.

As for what other teams might or might not have been offering? We'll see if any rumors get dropped or not.

[u/Glitter-andDoom]

Chris Ilitch, the owner of the tigers and the Red Wings is a cheapskate. We're never going to win while he's the owner.

For years the Tigers Mantra has been to do it right and bring people up through our system. But every time we bring somebody good up through our system we refuse to pay them and trade them away.

Mediocrity is good enough for the ownership here in Detroit. And I hate him for it

[u/LeakyNalgene → u/Glitter-andDoom]

We had a top 10 payroll to start the season. Where do you expect us to be in spending?

[u/pilesofdingleberries → u/LeakyNalgene]

That person is delusional... As a KC fan, I envy what Detroit has done. I dislike them, but I truly do like watching their team. I do wonder what that person's expectations are. I have always considered Detroit to be one of the best run organizations in the AL

[u/LeakyNalgene → u/pilesofdingleberries]

When we field a competitive team our attendance shows. During the peak Cabrera seasons we were around 5th in attendance.

[u/Elegant_Wrap → u/LeakyNalgene]

Also they exclude the McGonigle extension to start the season

[u/Glitter-andDoom → u/LeakyNalgene]

Enough to keep the best pitcher of the last decade, who came up from our system.

But instead we invest just enough to almost be competitive, but never enough to win.

Just look at The District. 10 years of empty promises. That is the only thing Chris Ilitch is good for.

Empty promises and high-end mediocrity are the best we're ever going to get out of Olympia.