Major League Baseball fans (outside of Los Angeles) let out a collective groan on Saturday night when news leaked that the Dodgers had somehow acquired Detroit Tigers ace pitcher Tarik Skubal. Skubal was the top prize in the MLB trade deadline frenzy of deals, and the one team that no one wanted to see him go to got him.
On Monday, former MLB Network broadcaster Chris Rose expressed what many baseball fans were feeling about the deal in a rant for the ages.
“My attitude right now is the reason I wanted the Brewers to go so hard after Tarik Skubal,” Rose began during his segment on Talkin’ Baseball. “And I know that you guys have already talked about this a ton, but it is the biggest story we’ve got.
“We can focus on all these interesting moves that we think can be all the difference in the world. Let’s talk about the biggest one in the room, which is all these people flooding our comments section from the late-night Saturday show, and the one I did earlier today with Dalton, that’s saying, ‘Well, we can’t give up these prospects. It’s the lifeblood of the Brewers’ and Rays’ organizations. That is such bulls—. I’ve had enough of it. Enough.”
Chris Rose took aim at the Brewers and Rays for not getting Tarik Skubal
“I went back to 2017, when Christian Yelich was traded to the Brewers,” Rose continued, getting more and more fired up. “Do you know that the Brewers gave up their first, their like fourth, their seventh and like a 16th or 17th-best prospect? Now, I know that Yelich was under control. He ended up getting the extension., so, it’s a different thing. People will say, ‘Well, you can’t do it for just a two-month rental.’
“Really? How many World Series have the Brewers won? Oh, you can even throw the Rays in there. I’ll combine ’em. How many World Series have those two franchises won? Anybody? That’s correct, nerd boy! Zero! So why don’t we try something different?!
“Do you think Dustin May is going to line up, and everybody’s gonna be like, ‘Hell yes! That guy’s gonna pitch Game 2, because Kyle Harrison’s arm is falling off! So, now we have to trot out Dustin May in Game 2 of the NLCS against the Dodgers!’ And you know who he’s going to face?! Tarik Skubal! And that’s going to be a problem for the Brewers!”
Baseball fans have a far different perspective than baseball executives
“I love the Brewers! They are a tremendous story,” Rose added. “The idea should not be just to survive. It should be to advance! And I don’t care. I am telling you this as a lifelong Indians fan, who did not pull the trigger on a Randy Johnson trade, who did not pull the trigger on a Curt Schilling trade, who did not pull the trigger on a Pedro Martinez trade! I regret it!
“I would have given anything! Hell, I would have given up this arm, and this arm! I would have cut my d— head off to have a chance at that stuff! And we had a way better team than the Brewers do now! And we still didn’t get it done! And it pains me because we didn’t try!'”
The thing is, he isn’t wrong. While teams like the Brewers and Rays obviously probably aren’t going to be in the bidding for Tarik Skubal’s services after this season, what is a World Series title worth? Is it worth giving up some of your best prospects for a three-month rental in Tarik Skubal? Apparently, it isn’t to teams like Milwaukee and Tampa Bay.