{"id":787321,"date":"2026-07-27T13:03:09","date_gmt":"2026-07-27T13:03:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/787321\/"},"modified":"2026-07-27T13:03:09","modified_gmt":"2026-07-27T13:03:09","slug":"the-tigers-brutal-trade-deadline-decision-plus-the-next-big-pga-tour-star","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/787321\/","title":{"rendered":"The Tigers\u2019 brutal trade deadline decision. Plus: The next big PGA Tour star?"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Pulse Newsletter \ud83d\udce3 | This is The Athletic\u2019s daily sports newsletter. Sign up here<\/a> to receive The Pulse directly in your inbox.<\/p>\n

Good morning! Chris is off this week, but we\u2019ve got familiar faces lined up to pinch hit. Today:<\/p>\n

\u26be An all-time trade deadline\u00a0puzzle<\/a>
\n\ud83d\udeb4\u00a0Historic<\/a>\u00a0Tour de France win
\n\u26f3 A golf star\u00a0born<\/a>?
\nConundrums: A deadline crossroads like no other\u00a0<\/p>\n

One week from the MLB trade deadline, the Detroit Tigers are facing one of the toughest deadline decisions ever, in any sport. Whatever they do could be a disaster.<\/p>\n

Tarik Skubal is one of the best pitchers of his generation. The big lefty has won the last two American League Cy Young Awards. He missed a month and a half earlier this season after having surgery for loose bodies in his elbow, but now the 29-year-old is back\u00a0and looks like, well, Skubal<\/a>. His past two starts: 14 1\/3 innings, 21 strikeouts, two walks, no homers, 1 run.<\/p>\n

He\u2019s also a free agent in a few months, and the Tigers at turns look like legit contenders and a team that will miss the postseason.\u00a0There\u2019s a lot going on here:<\/p>\n

The best pitchers in baseball will likely be worth somewhere between two and three wins above replacement\u00a0in August and September. That doesn\u2019t guarantee the Tigers would lose that much value by trading Skubal, because even the great ones are subject to injury risk and down stretches. Skubal was worth 1.2 FanGraphs WAR from August onward last year, for example \u2014 really good, but not a peak stretch for him.
\nStill, it\u2019s easy to see how subtracting Skubal could devastate the Tigers\u2019 playoff hopes.\u00a0The AL Central is bad. Entering yesterday, FanGraphs\u00a0projected<\/a>\u00a0every team but the last-place Royals to finish between 79 and 82 wins. Imagine if the Tigers trade Skubal, miss the playoffs narrowly and watch their former ace embark on a CC Sabathia-in-Milwaukee run (4.7 WAR in 17 starts in 2008<\/a>, good gravy).
\nThe Tigers are 50-56, but they\u2019ve been one of the best teams in baseball since falling to 16 games under .500 on May 31. Many of their key players are in their late 20s or early 30s. It\u2019s not about a \u201cwindow,\u201d but quitting on this team wouldn\u2019t be easy. FanGraphs pegged their playoff odds yesterday morning at 39.2 percent.\u00a0Every win or loss could tilt the decision in one direction.\u00a0(This includes yesterday\u2019s loss to the Royals, one of many bullpen failures the team has endured.) Skubal\u00a0says this team can win it all<\/a>.
\nPlus, baseball\u2019s weird in short samples.\u00a0The Tigers sold at the deadline two years ago,\u00a0trading starter Jack Flaherty (who\u2019s now back, but injured) to the eventual champion Dodgers,\u00a0and then made the playoffs anyway.\u00a0Plus, they may well get a useful major leaguer or two in return for Skubal, muddying the wins calculation.<\/p>\n

One more wrinkle: With an impending lockout, the sport\u2019s economic structure could shift in big or small ways\u00a0by next season. It\u2019s a fascinating position for the team and for the pitcher, who appears comfortable\u00a0being the main character of deadline season<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Teams and their soon-to-be-free agents have found themselves in similar situations many times, but\u00a0the confluence of Skubal\u2019s talent, the immediacy of his free agency, and the Tigers\u2019 status on the border of contention makes this a real brain-buster.\u00a0For example, the Nationals\u00a0got a ransom for Juan Soto in 2022<\/a>, but he was still two and a half seasons from his free agency and they were ticketed for a rebuild. Skubal\u00a0won\u2019t bring back as much<\/a>, and the opportunity cost of not having him for the next few months could be enormous.<\/p>\n

More:\u00a0Skubal\u00a0isn\u2019t even the only Tigers pitcher in this boat:<\/a>\u00a0Casey Mize is there, too. Plus:\u00a0ranking possible Skubal destinations<\/a>.<\/p>\n

News to Know<\/p>\n

Poga\u010dar wins record-tying fifth Tour
He didn\u2019t win stage 21, but Tadej Poga\u010dar wrapped up the big prize and\u00a0became a five-time Tour de France champion<\/a>\u00a0yesterday, tying the record. The day\u2019s other huge story was Mathieu van der Poel, who won\u00a0one of the most captivating final stages<\/a> the Tour has ever seen. After forming an alliance with Poga\u010dar \u2014 who put on a show even through the typically ceremonial last stage \u2014 an exhausted van der Poel faced an onslaught in the final moments but hung on by a thread.<\/p>\n

More news<\/p>\n

The\u00a0Arizona Cardinals\u00a0and their starting quarterback,\u00a0Jacoby Brissett, had been in\u00a0a rumbling contract dispute<\/a>\u00a0in the early days of training camp. That\u2019s now over, as the sides came together yesterday on\u00a0a one-year, $15.5 million restructure of his deal<\/a>.
\nThe Cavaliers\u00a0agreed to sign European star\u00a0Mario Hezonja, who had been a bench forward in the late 2010s for a handful of NBA teams.\u00a0LeBronsolation prize<\/a>?
\nSpeaking of:\u00a0James\u2019 deal with the Sixers\u00a0is now official, the NBA said<\/a>.
\nThe Utah Talons\u00a0swept the Chicago Bandits<\/a> to win the AUSL title for a second time in the softball league\u2019s two years of existence. It\u2019s a dynasty.
\nCarlos Beltr\u00e1n, Jeff Kent and Andruw Jones\u00a0joined the Baseball Hall of Fame<\/a>.
\nLando Norris\u00a0won<\/a>\u00a0Formula 1\u2019s\u00a0Hungarian Grand Prix.\u00a0His McLaren teammate\u00a0Oscar Piastri\u00a0was furious after a collision<\/a>\u00a0with Williams\u2019\u00a0Carlos Sainz, whom Piastri was in the process of lapping.
\nThe Marlins\u00a0lost a team-record 12th straight game and\u00a0may now be deadline sellers<\/a>. In other deadline developments, Mets starter\u00a0Freddy Peralta\u00a0said he had \u201cprobably\u201d\u00a0made his last start<\/a>\u00a0with the team, and A\u2019s catcher and bandied-about trade chip\u00a0Shea Langeliers\u00a0went to the injured list\u00a0with a torn meniscus<\/a>.
\nBrewers ace\u00a0Jacob Misiorowski\u00a0had a historic outing.\u00a0Yes, again<\/a>.
\nCorey Heim, a 24-year-old NASCAR Cup Series part-timer, continued his stunning ascent by\u00a0winning the crown-jewel Brickyard 400<\/a>. That\u2019s two wins in five weeks.
\nGianni Infantino\u00a0said critics of his leadership of FIFA\u00a0<\/a>are \u201cspreading hate.\u201d OK.
\nHi, My Name Is: The PGA Tour\u2019s biggest breakout since \u2026 ?\u00a0<\/p>\n

Jackson Koivun\u00a0won the 3M Open yesterday<\/a>\u00a0with a winning score of 25 under par at TPC Twin Cities. On the one hand, sure, many of the PGA Tour\u2019s best players took the week off after The Open Championship. On the other hand, the runner-up, at -22, was world No. 1 Scottie Scheffler. No one can claim the Auburn alum didn\u2019t beat anyone of consequence.<\/p>\n

Koivun, 21, just turned pro this summer after one of the great careers in college golf history. Even by today\u2019s standards, he hits the ball a mile and is capable of getting unusually dialed in with his irons. (Watch this shot<\/a>.)\u00a0On a scale of 1 to \u201cScottie,\u201d how excited should fans be?\u00a0I asked our golf editor,\u00a0Hugh Kellenberger<\/a>, who answered like this:<\/p>\n

\ud83d\udcac\u00a0\u201c8.25. We\u2019ve seen too many \u2018phenoms\u2019 get to the tour and burn out in recent years (shout-out to Nick Dunlap, who was the first amateur since Phil Mickelson to win and is now not ranked in the world\u2019s top 350), but\u00a0Koivun\u2019s poise and his touch around the greens feel different than most. I\u2019m not saying he should be on the Ryder Cup team (yet), but how about a Presidents Cup? Let\u2019s stress-test this young man.\u201d<\/p>\n

Yeah, golf might really have one here.<\/p>\n

Watch Guide<\/p>\n

\ud83d\udcfa\u00a0Streaming: \u201cBorn to Bowl\u201d
HBO Max
Amid one of the year\u2019s quietest weeks of nationally televised live sports, I recommend this five-episode miniseries that serves as bowling\u2019s answer to F1\u2019s \u201cDrive to Survive.\u201d It\u2019s fun, with a heavy emphasis on rivalries, and adds up to under three hours across five episodes.<\/p>\n

\ud83d\udcfa\u00a0MLB: Guardians at Reds
7:10 p.m. ET on ESPN
The electric Chase Burns (2.42 ERA, 29 percent strikeout rate) faces one of the teams that would be most pleased if the Tigers moved Skubal before the deadline.<\/p>\n

Pulse Picks<\/p>\n

Read\u00a0Sabreena Merchant\u2019s takeaways<\/a>\u00a0from a busy, revamped WNBA All-Star weekend. Phenoms \ud83d\udcc8<\/p>\n

A perfect offseason list<\/a>:\u00a0The Athletic\u2019s\u00a0hockey staff came together to identify the definitive on-ice villain for every team in the NHL.<\/p>\n

I liked Chad Jennings and Tim Britton\u2019s\u00a0analysis of a really fun baseball trade<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Most-clicked in yesterday\u2019s newsletter:\u00a0Kerry Wood\u2019s\u00a0behind-the-back pitch<\/a>\u00a0for the Savannah Bananas.<\/p>\n

Most-read on the website yesterday:\u00a0The recap of the Tour de France\u2019s\u00a0thrilling last stage<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\ud83d\udceb That\u2019s all for now! Say hello at thepulse@theathletic.com<\/a>, and check out our other newsletters<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The Pulse Newsletter \ud83d\udce3 | This is The Athletic\u2019s daily sports newsletter. Sign up here to receive The…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":787322,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[65],"tags":[363,99],"class_list":["post-787321","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-mlb","tag-mlb","tag-sports"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/787321","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=787321"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/787321\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/787322"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=787321"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=787321"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=787321"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}