Will Tarik Skubal Go Into The Hall of Fame As A Detroit Tiger Or A New York Yankee?

So Tarik Skubal recently spoke on his looming free agency, and anyone with a functioning brain can read between the lines as to what he said: he will not be extending with the Detroit Tigers after the 2026 season because his agent, Scott Boras, is going to get him over $400 million dollars elsewhere. 

Now that the first elephant in the room has finally been addressed, we can move on and talk about the next. And let’s not beat around the bush here: Tarik Skubal is going to be a Hall of Famer one day. Haters will point out that he has zero postseason success, but Ken Griffey Jr. never even made a World Series. Hell, Ernie Banks never even made the playoffs! No, it's obvious that he's never going to steal “Mr. October” from Reggie Jackson, but the way he's been dominating in low pressure situations, he has a legitimate chance to go down in the history books as "Mr. March through August".  

The question is no longer IF the best regular season pitcher in the game is heading to Cooperstown, it’s what hat will he wear?

Last year, he won the Cy Young and Triple Crown. This season, he’s even better. Every single time he takes the mound is essentially 7 scoreless with double digit strikeouts. And then once in a blue moon, AJ Hinch allows him to stay out a little past his curfew and throw a complete game. Tarik currently sits at -300 to win another Cy Young, but I’d handicap it at about -30000. Who else could possibly win this award? Find me someone else in baseball who throws a "Maddux" this year and then we can discuss.

Again, it’s not a question of if Skubal is heading to the Hall of Fame, rather which cap will he don on his bust. On one hand, he started his career in Detroit and will almost certainly have 2, perhaps as high as 2.5 if he's dealt at the deadline leading up to his departure, Cy Youngs when it’s all said and done there.  But on the other hand, the entire back half of his career + any meaningful postseason success will all come from where Scott Boras gets him a $400+ million contract when he pulls an auto industry: leaving the Motor City for greener pastures and leaving them decimated.

I guess it comes down to what Tarik values more: winning personal accolades or winning team championships?

As we look back on history, Gary Carter could be one we use as a precedent to determine how Skubal will go into the Hall. Despite having spent the majority of his career as a Montreal Expo, he won his only World Series in New York, which is why he requested to go into Cooperstown with a Mets hat on. Ultimately, the Hall of Fame President decided his hat would be an Expo, despite Carter's wishes. But it must be noted that was back in 2003. Covid aside, the world has shifted to a much more accepting stance on people making their own choices about their own bodies, and I would be shocked that if in 2042, anyone shoots down Tarik’s request of which hat HE wants to wear as he enters Cooperstown. 

I guess it’s also possible that Tarik could pull a Roy Halladay and go in with no cap? Remember Roy's widow chose this to honor both the Blue Jays, where he played 12 seasons and won a Cy Young Award, and the Phillies, where he spent four seasons, won another Cy Young, and threw a perfect game and a postseason no-hitter. While I support this decision by Mrs. Halladay, I personally feel that would be a cop out for Tarik though. If you want to be a Tiger, you’d be a Tiger. He has the ability to extend his contract right this very second if he wanted, so don’t wait around 2 years twiddling your thumbs, tell me it was a tough decision as you back up the brinks truck into the loading dock of your Manhattan high rise….and then in 2040 try and redeem yourself by entering the Hall in the blue and orange. 

So what do you guys think? Will Tarik Skubal enter the Hall of Fame as a Detroit Tiger or a New York Yankee?