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RhinoVT RhinoVT OP
Jul 30, 2026 at 10:06 AM ET
Depressing MLB "trade rumor" article. if the Tigers dump Skubal and he goes
to the Dodgers, MLB will be unwatchable. Also, O's considering moving Rutchman and Holliday while keeping Henderson?? Geez. I'm hoping the O's stand pat and I hope the Tigers do, too. MLB needs some balance.

34 Replies

PhotoHokieNC PhotoHokieNC
I'm with you for standing pat. Rumors have been flying for over a year
and baited clicks for Skubes' destinations alone are likely in the millions. He has repeatedly said he wants to stay; I don't know how much control he has in his career yet, but Detroit would be foolish to let him go (they wouldn't "dump" him anyways, fwiw). After the game yesterday he didn't sound positive (see link), but the club is once again in freefall. He loves Detroit fans and wants to get them to the World Series. If the club has the same goal, they need to keep him on the roster. It would be an enormous morale boost right now.
Link: link
VT Pez4Life VT Pez4Life
The O's are horribly Run have been for decades.
J
jdkhokie
Lets hate on a winner. The Dodgers are actually 2nd in total team payroll
to the Mets and 4th in active team payroll. You should also factor in the cost of living in California and major city like Los Angeles. The distribution from the top down is not like the Premier League. The Dodgers are a well run professional organization who sign players that for the most part are model citizens and generally all around good guys. I look for Philly to sign Skubal. Dodger got some guys coming back from injury in the second half. They probably would like to have him but honestly do not need him as much as an all star outfielder. ** Edited by jdkhokie at 7/30/2026, 12:31:02 PM ** Edited by jdkhokie at 7/30/2026, 12:33:17 PM
Link: link
V
Va AandM
Hope you felt the same about George Steinbrenner and the Yanks
J
jdkhokie
No the 77-78 Yankees were a collection of *******s LOL
V
Va AandM
But the ‘96-‘00 were cool?
Brown Water Brown Water
Ugh, kick a man while he's down why don't you
vt90 vt90
Well, you'll get plenty of time not to watch baseball next spring ...
thanks to the Dodgers. I don't blame them, but the Dodgers have singularly broken the game and everyone knows it. The players love it, the owners hate it and hence there will be a long, ugly lockout. So enjoy the next 3 months because I seriously doubt the 2027 season starts anywhere near on time.
Beerman Beerman
Not sure sure I'm blaming the Dodgers
It's worth noting that while the players and owners have vehement disagreement on what happens at the top of the payroll, they are in general agreement about two fundamentally important things: 1) Pooling most or all of the TV revenue, even the locals 2) A significantly higher payroll floor Combined, that shifts a huge pile of money from the "haves" to the "have nots", and requires the "have nots" to actually spend it on the players. The subjectively poorer billionaires won't get to cry poverty any longer.
vt90 vt90
I agree with that but that is going forward. Right now there are ...
legitimately 20+ teams that simply can't compete with the Dodgers financially, and to their credit, the Dodgers know this and are buying championships. You can make the case that NO other franchises can compete with the Yankees - pretty much every big name free agent the Dodgers wanted they have been able to outbid everyone. The playing field (under the current agreement) is absolutely not level and there are enough teams (even bigger market teams) that recognize this and won't buckle. The players don't want a salary cap and are adamant about it. Has the makings of a very long lockout.
B
Burke Hokie
If at all. Won’t surprise me in the least if there is no 27 season.
reestuart reestuart
Can't blame the Dodgers, but it makes things less fun.
RhinoVT RhinoVT OP
Exactly
reestuart reestuart
I actually don't mind the Dodgers at all. They have players I really like.
The Tigers were a playoff team the last 2 years , and have one of the best young guys in the game in McGonigle. They have a good base. But if they lose Skubal, it just feels like a reset for no reason. The Tigers or other teams that dump their stars share blame as well. I don't know the real fix.
Freddyburg Hokie Freddyburg Hokie
They're losing Skubal at the end of the season anyways...
No way they are able to pay what the big boys can pay to retain him. He is going to be one of the hottest pitching free agents in a long time, and is going to ca$h in in a major way.
PhotoHokieNC PhotoHokieNC
For however you came to that conclusion, there are other opinions.
** Edited by PhotoHokieNC at 7/30/2026, 4:36:42 PM
Link: link
reestuart reestuart
The Little Caesars folks need to open their wallets.
The team isn't the most valuable, but ownership is top 5 or so.
G
gr8fuljj
Not a fan of Chris Illitch
Wings haven’t made the playoffs in a decade. I don’t think he wants to win like his Dad. Not sure how much of a say his siblings have either. Tigers have made the playoffs the last two years even after last years epic September collapse. Both teams went through huge rebuilds.
PhotoHokieNC PhotoHokieNC
Great postseason points. To let Skubes get away now would send them
back to rebuilding again and that is a bad decision if they do.
G
gr8fuljj
Not in the mood for another rebuild
PhotoHokieNC PhotoHokieNC
Never having been an accomplished pro MLB player, I don't know
how the clubhouse responds to new players who are brought in after they're acquired in exchange for an ace arm. They say they know it's a business, and business decisions get made all the time. But if Skubes gets gone, I'd hate to be a player who he gets traded to the Tigs for.
reestuart reestuart
They're also only 6 games out now.
G
gr8fuljj
They sold two years ago
And made the playoffs. Anything can happen and they play the games for a reason. Not going to hold my breath but stranger things have happened
PhotoHokieNC PhotoHokieNC
We have too many (+50% FAIL) unreliable pitchers: Anderson, Sommers,
Finnegan and Waguespack, plus several of the same on IL.
G
gr8fuljj
Watching some of these guys reminds me
Of eating in Dietrick
PhotoHokieNC PhotoHokieNC
Lucky to be there since they're not playing consistently well.
G
gr8fuljj
They have lost 17 or 18 games
When leading in the 7th
PhotoHokieNC PhotoHokieNC
That mess yesterday was atrocious.
G
gr8fuljj
You are far too kind with that assessment
This is a family friendly board so I won’t say anything
PhotoHokieNC PhotoHokieNC
LOL I’d hate to hear what some families were saying at
Comerica yesterday when the relief arms were coughing up hairballs.🐯🤮
G
gr8fuljj
Very true!!
RhinoVT RhinoVT OP
None of the chasing teams are consistent. Frustrating but exciting to have
some competitiveness for playoff spots. The freaking Red Sox seem to be the team to figure it out. Digging themselves out a little like that Nats did the year they won the WS.
S
section11hokie
Doubt it, and baseball is better than it's been in a long time. Games are
shorter, players can challenge the umpires calls. Like them or not The Dodgers are the best run sports franchise on the planet. Enjoy watching Ohtani he is one of the best players ever.
VTHokie2000 VTHokie2000
If the lockout happens, then time will tell if people still feel that way.
Even if MLB manages to avoid a lockout, people can more changes to take place. Some will be good (for the game) and some won't be as good. Personally, I think it is idiotic that the state as large as Texas no longer has a NL team. Particularly when you consider the way MLB defines the "territories" for the national and regional TV contracts. ** Edited by VTHokie2000 at 7/30/2026, 10:44:44 AM