DETROIT — Tarik Skubal said his preference is to finish the season with the Detroit Tigers and compete for a championship, though knows his next start could be his last with the team.
“We have a chance to win World Series,” Skubal said Thursday. “I’ve said that since spring training. That’s never changed. That belief in this team has never changed throughout the season. Obviously we put ourselves in a tough situation, but I think we’ve come out of that situation playing really good baseball.
“Going into spring training and the whole offseason, I’ve never been more motivated to try and win a World Series for this city, the team that drafted me and helped develop me. That’s always been the goal, and that will never change unless I’m told I’m on a different team.”
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The Tigers have until Aug. 3 to decide whether to keep Skubal, who can become a free agent after the World Series, or deal the two-time Cy Young Award winner to perhaps bolster their future with players and prospects.
Skubal (6-5. 2.83 ERA) is scheduled to pitch Friday against the Kansas City Royals at Comerica Park and acknowledged it might be his last start for the Tigers.
“That might be the reality,” he said. “But also five days later, there’s another one at home.”
The 29-year-old righty had surgery May 6 to remove a loose body from his pitching elbow and returned to pitch on June 13. He is in his seventh season in Detroit and won the AL Cy Young Award the last two seasons.
The Tigers were 22-38 at the start of June but have rallied well enough to be in the playoff picture — they were 48-54 entering the series opener against the Royals on Thursday — as questions swirl about what the franchise will do with Skubal.
“There’s a lot of intrigue around him and the reason is, he’s really good,” Tigers manager A.J. Hinch said.