"Insulting not only to Tarik Skubal" - Justin Verlander's brother rips narrative of Tigers' superstar ace potentially joining Yankees, Dodgers

Tarik Skubal's performances this season make him one of the most elite pitchers in the MLB. His performances have led many to wonder where the 28-year-old will play once his time at the Detroit Tigers comes to an end.

While there is a notion that Skubal could end up at the New York Yankees or the LA Dodgers, Justin Verlander's brother, Ben Verlander, feels such discussions are insulting to Skubal. On Tuesday's episode of Flippin' Bats with Ben Verlander, he said:

"Tarik Skubal, out there dominating for the Detroit Tigers. And, for a while, all ESPN could talk about was what team Tarik Skubal is going to be pitching for in a year and a half.

"It's insulting not only to Tarik Skubal, not only to the city, to the fanbase, to the idea that baseball should be competitive and every team should be competitive ... but it's insulting to the Tigers that are building something." (4:40 onwards)

Ben Verlander emphasized that Skubal shouldn't be seen as a "shiny trade piece," even if he were to play for some other team.

Ben Verlander reveals what discussions surrounding Tarik Skubal should look like

In the same episode, Ben Verlander suggested that instead of speaking about which team Tarik Skubal will play for, it would be better to speak about how the Tigers could retain him.

Verlander also said Skubal has the potential to be one of the best pitchers the Tigers have ever seen. Verlander said:

"We should be talking about what the Detroit Tigers need to do to sign this guy long term, make him the face of the franchise for the next decade, and continue to be potentially one of the best pitchers the organisation has ever seen. The writing is on the wall for him to potentially be that. He's not now." (6:20 onwards)

Skubal is 10-3 with an excellent ERA of 2.19 after pitching 127.2 innings in 20 starts, which includes one complete game.

About the author

Varun is a Golf and MLB journalist for Sportskeeda with over 4 years of work experience in his bag. Currently pursuing a Master’s degree in Journalism and Mass Communication, he worked for many sites, including EssentiallySports, FanSided, Khel Now, Get Football, and a few others.

Varun is a fan of golfer Scottie Scheffler due to the latter’s mindset, and he admires Aaron Judge and his ability to keep being consistent. As a purist golf fan, he would love to compete at the Masters if given the opportunity, but is also happy with LIV Golf driving more eyeballs towards the sport. If he gets the chance to play for an MLB team, he would love to play for the New York Yankees.

Varun’s mantra for writing factually correct feature articles is thorough verification. Another key element in his writing is staying updated with both sports through the official websites of pro wrestling and Golf. He has had the privilege of interviewing MMA legend Greg Jackson in his career so far.

Varun likes to spend his free time reading or writing poetry and fiction. He also plans to learn and play golf in his spare time.

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Edited by Krutik Jain