Why Tigers are pitching Tarik Skubal today despite incessant trade rumors

The Detroit Tigers hold MLB's biggest trade chip in their hand.

Tarik Skubal is the back-to-back Cy Young winner in the American League. He's on an expiring contract. And if he gets moved by the August 3 trade deadline, it'll be the biggest move of the summer.

Will it happen? No one knows for sure.

But in the meantime, Skubal is still pitching.

He's starting on Wednesday afternoon against the Baltimore Orioles in what could be his final start for the Tigers.

If he truly is a trade chip, it's a start that doesn't come without risk. If Skubal were to get injured, it could change everything about Detroit's trade plans.

Even with that in mind, Skubal is getting the ball.

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Why is Tarik Skubal pitching today if the Tigers are going to trade him?

On the baseball side of things, the Tigers are focused on winning games.

"Pitching Tarik today was never up in the air, unless it was external," A.J. Hinch told reporters before Wednesday's game. "We’ve continued to talk about winning series, winning weeks, winning months. It’s how I talk. It’s how Scott and Jeff talk about our team."

All along, the Tigers -- including Skubal -- have focused on digging themselves out of their early-season hole.

It may not happen quite enough to keep Skubal around, but they aren't punting on a turnaround before they have to.

If Skubal gets traded away, that'll signal how the Tigers really feel. In the meantime, they're not limiting themselves.

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