After a terrible May, the Detroit Tigers' bats woke up in the team's first series in June. They scored 25 runs in three games.
Can they turn their season around and do it in time to make it worth keeping their best pitcher?
Michigan Public commentator John U. Bacon joined Morning Edition host Doug Tribou to talk about that and the possibility of an MLB lockout in 2027.
Doug Tribou: In their last eight games in May, the Tigers scored a total of 23 runs. Then June arrived and Detroit’s bats came out of hibernation, I guess. The Tigers put up 25 runs in their first three games of the month. What’s changed about their approach?
John U. Bacon: I like that phrase: "What's changed about their approach?" They decided, you know what? Hitting the ball. Let's try that in June, see what happens [Laughs]."
DT: [Laughs]
JUB: No, what's really happening is they're going for first pitches. They're going for second pitches. One of the problems in Major League Baseball, if you watch one or two strikes go by, you're now 0-2 and all the stats show your chances of getting a hit are extremely slim. So you've got to be aggressive. And you've got to swing at the first or second pitch.
The Tigers went 6-22 in the month of May. They opened June with three straight wins.
DT: And all of this was against a Tampa Bay team that's been at or near the top of the AL East, so a good showing for the Tigers so far in June.
Tigers ace Tarik Skubal is expected to return this month after minor surgery on his pitching elbow. This is the final year of his contract in Detroit, as we've mentioned here on Morning Edition. He says if the Tigers can get back to their winning ways in the coming weeks, the trade rumors about him will dry up [Laughs].
JUB: [Laughs] Based on your laughter, would you agree, Doug?
DT: It just seems like... no. He also said that there weren't trade rumors last year when they were winning, which is proof he's not listening to our program.
JUB: [Laughs] Right. No, the trade rumors are only going to pick up. Because if they're winning, that means that Skubal can pitch, he's healthy, he's back on his game. He needs one, two, three outings to show the potential bidders out there that he's worth $500 million or some other crazy, crazy number. Trust me when I tell you, there is almost no way he's going to be in a Tigers uniform next year. Now, if you're fighting for the World Series, then you keep him.
DT: It's a really tight window too, because the trade deadline is August 3, so the team would really have to turn around and be certainly in contention for a playoff spot by then to know whether or not trading him now is the move.
JUB: It's a tight, tight window, especially when you're dead last, basically, in the American League. And then on top of that, your calculation cannot just be: will they make the playoffs? A lot of teams make the playoffs. You're not going to trade Skubal's future for that.
MLB owners last proposed a salary cap in 1994. That year, the players went on strike, the season was cut short, and the World Series was canceled.
DT: Well, one question is: where Tarik Skubal will be playing next year? Another question is: will he be playing at all? The MLB team owners proposed a player salary cap as part of their next collective bargaining agreement. The current deal ends on December 1, so the negotiations won't affect the current season. But unlike the NBA, NHL, and NFL, baseball's never had a salary cap, so that's already looking like a major sticking point. How do you see all this playing out, John?
JUB: That is the major sticking point, honestly. Now what is a salary cap? A salary cap is a guardrail to keep these insane billionaire owners from spending themselves into oblivion.
But also it's because the Miami Marlins are so poorly funded right now. [MLB] would not only have a ceiling on the salaries, but also a basement on the salaries. In other words, you have to spend $175 million a year. Right now, the L.A. Dodgers pay more on what's called a luxury tax for all their spending than the Marlins pay on their entire team. That's how inequitable the whole thing is.
So I think this is going to be a knock-down, drag-out fight. The players are going to fight it like crazy. But for once, the fans might actually be on the billionaire owners' side. That's saying a lot. Let's see if I'm wrong, but at first blush, most fans think a salary cap is a good idea, and it's worked well in other sports.
DT: And the last time the salary cap was proposed was 1994.
JUB: How'd that go?
DT: [Laughs] Not very well. We saw the end of a season canceled, all kinds of lost time. And that has big implications for the seasons going forward as well. You're looking at big free agents like Tarik Skubal and and all of those decisions could get pushed back if they're in the heat of negotiations at the end of this season.
JUB: All the more reason that Tarik Skubal wants to sign with a team by August 3, because there's no salary cap August 3. If there is a salary cap starting next season, then guys like Skubal will get less and other guys will get more.
Editor's note: Some quotes in this article have been lightly edited for length and clarity. You can play the full audio of this interview near the top of this page.
