Everything swirling around the Detroit Tigers is freakin’ weird right now.
The uncertainty. The non-stop questions. The moving parts. Not to mention the clubhouse emotions that whiplashed from sadness to exhilaration – all in the matter of hours.
So, let’s start in the middle of the Tigers' clubhouse. Because that is where Justin Verlander was once again playing chess
before the Tigers pummeled the Baltimore Orioles, 14-0, on Tuesday, July 28.Just a few moments earlier, Tigers manager A.J. Hinch had announced the team had designated veteran Jake Rogers for assignment, in effect, cutting the beloved catcher while leaving open a window to trade him.
Ah, the irony never ends. Back on Aug. 31, 2017, the Tigers traded Verlander to the Houston Astros
for Rogers, Franklin Perez and Daz Cameron.
Now?
Verlander was the last one left in the Tigers organization – and yes, he was the dude they shipped off – I mean, who saw that coming back then much less a year ago?
But it is an important reminder and cautionary tale for this team, at this moment, heading into the 2026 MLB trade deadline on 6 p.m. on Monday, Aug. 3. While it might seem like a great idea to trade away assets, hoping some highly ranked prospects will change the future, there are no guarantees any of them will pan out.
Losing Jake Rogers a gut-punch
Now, let’s move to the back wall, where Rogers used to have a locker right next to Dillon Dingler.
“Everybody was really sad to see him go,” said Dingler, the Tigers' All-Star, Gold Glove catcher. “Jake being Jake – he was still in high spirits.”
Rogers was Dingler’s mentor, his friend and unwavering supporter, even when Dingler took his job. Through it all Rogers always maintained the highest level of class and professionalism.
“He took me under his wing when I first got drafted in ‘20,” Dingler said. “We came really close after that, especially since I've been up.”
Now, to the next wall in the clubhouse.
First baseman Spencer Torkelson stood next to his locker, explaining how he learned that Rogers was being cut on Monday night.
"A lot of guys were all holding back some tears," Torkelson said. "Not only was he an unbelievable teammate, but he's one of our best friends. It’s like losing a best friend.”
You sensing a theme here? Rogers was unquestionably one of the leaders of this team. But the harsh reality of baseball is not lost on any of the Tigers, especially with the trade deadline looming over everything.
“It’s a business,” said Tarik Skubal. Rogers and Skubal were extremely close, not just on the field but off of it.
“It sucks,” Skubal said.
Rogers caught every inning of Skubal’s 2024 American League Cy Young Award-winning season.
“I will always have a special connection with him,” Skubal said. “He helped guide and navigate me to my first Cy Young, so that's something that I'll always appreciate, and he always held me accountable.”
But the Tigers DFA’d Rogers to make room on the roster for Javier Báez, who has recovered from an ankle injury.
Yes, that brings us to the far corner of the Tigers locker, where Báez was talking to the media.
“I’m excited,” he said, with that childlike smile. He's got an infectious personality.
When Báez was injured on April 28, it threw the entire roster out of whack. Hinch struggled to find a replacement in center, trying to mix and match which messed up other positions.
Maybe, it is not surprising the Tigers fell apart in May – going 6-22 because the injuries mounted and everything was out of whack. Nothing got solidified until James Outman was brought in to play center, not for his batting average but his glove, his legs and his ability to yank one out of the park every now and then.
Now, Outman is being kept on this team to spell Báez in center and give Hinch flexibility to move Báez to the infield when needed. Maybe all the parts are suddenly fitting together again.
Báez brings this team swagger, energy and made an immediate impact, picking up three hits and scoring a run. After hitting a double in the seventh inning Tuesday, with the Tigers holding a 10-0 lead, Outman was brought in as a pinch-runner, giving Báez the rest of the night off.
“I've been watching the games, and I've seen all the ups and downs,” Báez said. “I think this team and this group has got a good chance to keep getting better, playing better, trying to get that that feeling of winning again. We just gotta keep playing like a winning team.”
Then, they went out and did exactly that.
Get ready for Tarik Skubal day
As this emotional drama played out on Tuesday afternoon, the TVs in the Tigers clubhouse were tuned to MLB TV. The banner across the bottom read: “TIGERS HAVE BIG DECISIONS TO MAKE AHEAD OF DEADLINE.”
The biggest decision impacts the entire league: Will they trade Skubal?
But there are so many other questions: How about Casey Mize or Gleyber Torres or even Kenley Jansen?
And that brings us to another element of cutting Rogers, who makes $3 million this season and has just under $100,000 of his salary yet to be paid out. It’s a potential salary dumping in case the Tigers keep Skubal through the deadline, helping them get under the luxury tax. They are reportedly between $1-to-2 million over the tax.
If Rogers gets claimed by another team or gets traded, that would help the Tigers get closer to ducking the tax. They need to be under it to get a compensatory pick after the first round of the 2027 MLB Draft if they keep Skubal through the trade deadline but lose him in free agency after he declines the qualifying offer. If they don't get under tax, the comp pick would move to after the fourth round.
One more critical point: Cutting Rogers made it easier for the Tigers to keep Eduardo Valencia – a right-handed power hitter.
Valencia, it should be pointed out, started at catcher on Tuesday and picked up four hits, including two homers. I don't care if one was against a position player in garbage time. They all count. A right-handed bat? Hmm. Isn't that what this team has needed all along?
"I knew he had it in him," Kevin McGonigle told Detroit SportsNet after the game.
I mean, all these subtle moves – bringing up Báez, keeping Valencia, even Outman – paid off huge on Tuesday. And everything feels like it fits together.
Now, there’s one last emotional layer to this moment for the Tigers. One last drama on this homestand as this team tries to prove that it can fight for the playoffs before the deadline.
Skubal is scheduled to pitch Wednesday against the Orioles (1:10 p.m., DSN), which could be his last start for the Tigers in Comerica Park. While some wondered if the Tigers would hold Skubal back, keeping him healthy for a trade, Skubal erased those thoughts.
“I’m pitching [Wednesday],” he said definitively.
Skubal has 999 career strikeouts for the Tigers and obviously, he wants at least one more.
“I got something cool that I want to accomplish at home, so that won't change," he said.
If Tuesday was wild, Wednesday promises to bring even more of the same.
Win this series, climb closer in the wild-card race (3½ games back and behind five teams) and in the division (five back and behind three teams) and who knows what will happen. They have four more games until the deadline.
And the uncertainty and questions won't stop until Monday evening.
Contact Jeff Seidel: jseidel@freepress.com. Follow him on X @seideljeff.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Jake Rogers cut, his replacement HRs to set up Tarik Skubal's potential final Tigers start
