It's been a tough week for the Detroit Tigers. They lost two in a three game series against the Orioles, all while Monday's MLB trade deadline looms.
For more on that and other sportsball news, Michigan Public's Katheryne Friske spoke with sports commentator John U. Bacon.
Katheryne Friske: Let's start with the big story this week. The camera crews and announcers were going nuts... Literally! A squirrel made its way onto the field and really stole the spotlight at Comerica Park Monday night. The crowd was rooting for him. So can a squirrel become a Tiger? Because the trade window is still open...
John U. Bacon: [Laughs] Let's look into that. Got to be a lot less than Tarik Skubal would cost, I'm sure of that. Tarik Skubal is the best pitcher the Tigers have seen in a long time. He won the Cy Young Award as the best pitcher in the American League the last two years. He probably has pitched for the last time as a Tiger. A trade is expected to come up before Monday.
KF: What would it take for him to stay a Tiger at this point, or is that off the table?
JUB: It's not officially off the table, but it might as well be. A few hundred million dollars is the answer to that question. His agent is Scott Boras, probably the toughest agent in all of baseball. So they want a super long term contract, like ten years. They want $70 million a year, something like that. So it is a very serious bar, to say the least. So they're probably going to trade him before the deadline on Monday. And that way get something at least in return for the team if they're in a position to get to the playoffs and maybe the World Series as they had hoped. Perhaps they would have kept him. But right now it looks like more selling than buying going on in Detroit.
KF: Well, Skubal achieved an exciting milestone at home this week, his thousandth career strikeout. Put that into perspective for us.
JUB: Well, how about this? No Tiger has ever gotten there faster. Just one more indication that Tarik Skubal is very, very good at what he does. And he's at his best these days. So if he keeps it up and he probably will, he will walk into the Hall of Fame.
KF: Well, you know, we might have lost Skubal, but we gained the love of a squirrel. The Tigers are also saying farewell to longtime catcher Jake Rogers this week in order to welcome Javier Baez back off the injury list. What makes this move so bittersweet, Jon?
JUB: Well, business is business, but it's still a drag. Detroit had to make room, as you say, for Javier Baez coming off the injured list. And Detroit catcher Dillon Dingler is already an all star. His backup, Eduardo Valencia, is playing very well, so Rogers was the obvious choice. But his teammates and his fans loved him. His cool mustache. He's a great fielder and he could even come in once in a while and pitch for a little bit. He had two strikeouts this year. Pretty incredible for a catcher, so he will be missed.
KF: So you think it was the right decision, though?
JUB: They had to.
KF: As you and Doug discussed last week, Michigan Athletic Director Warde Manuel will be stepping down at the end of 2026. We learned on Monday that he will get paid a whopping $7.14 million lump sum on his way out. Make it make sense, John.
JUB: Yeah, if only I could. You're asking too much, Katheryne. Two weeks ago, Manuel said that he loved his job, and he wasn't going anywhere. And then last week, President Grasso said, Warde Manuel told me he would like to step down.
KF: So amazing what $7 million will do.
JUB: [Laughs] It can change my mood on a lot of things, I suppose. So your point there as well. Taken. So he's not officially getting fired, but he's not staying either. But he is getting $7 million and he also gets free golf for life. Since I guess $7 million will not cover a round of golf. Life is tough all over. Katheryne, as you know. So getting let go by Michigan is good work if you can get it. Or maybe being a squirrel. You tell me.
KF: Well, if they need to hire someone, I've heard that there's a squirrel for hire out there.
JUB: You know what? Let's give it a shot.
KF: All right. Thanks, John.
JUB: Thank you, Katheryne.
Editor's notes: Some quotes in this article have been lightly edited for length and clarity. You play the audio of the full interview near the top of this page.
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