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The Detroit Tigers remain in the AL Wild Card picture, despite trading two of their best starting pitchers at the deadline.
They are 5.5 games behind the Chicago White Sox in the AL Central standings with over a month left to play, so the division title is not out of the question.
Did the Tigers jump the gun with the Tarik Skubal and Casey Mize trades? Bleacher Report's Tim Kelly believes they might regret making those moves.
"As is, the Tigers are currently one game back of the final wild-card spot in the AL," Kelly wrote. "If A.J. Hinch's club snuck into the postseason with a rotation that included Skubal, Mize and Framber Valdez, who's to say they couldn't have made noise in what may be the weakest AL in at least a generation?"
MORE: Phillies receive slightly worrying 65% playoff odds projection from ESPN
Skubal was unlikely to re-sign with the Tigers this offseason. He was traded to the Los Angeles Dodgers for prospects Zyhir Hope, River Ryan, and Brady Smith.
As the back-to-back AL Cy Young Award winner, that seems like a relatively underwhelming trade package for the Tigers.
Mize was traded to the San Diego Padres for pitching prospects Kash Mayfield and Jackson Wolf.
"Alas, moving Skubal and Mize was probably the right long-term move for Detroit," Kelly wrote. "However, for at least the rest of the season, [Scott] Harris and company will likely wonder what would have happened if they went the other route and potentially added a piece or two."
The Tigers could've made serious noise in the AL postseason picture if they held on to Skubal and Mize. But the organization knew the risk of losing them for nothing this winter.
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