Baseball Wiretap

Tarik Skubal made clear Thursday that he would prefer not to be traded before the Aug. 3 deadline, reaffirming his confidence in the Detroit Tigers' championship potential.

"I think we have a chance to win a World Series," said Skubal. "I've said that since spring training. That's never changed. That belief in this team has never changed throughout the season. … Going into spring training, the whole offseason, I've never been more motivated to try to win a World Series for this city, the team that drafted me in 2018 and helped develop me. That's always been the goal, and that will never change unless I'm told I'm on a different team."

Skubal also addressed how his relationship with the Tigers' front office shifted following his high-profile arbitration case in January.

"Of course when you take a player to arbitration there's not a ton of positive things that come out of that process, relationship-wise," said Skubal. "That's pretty obvious. But my relationship with the coaching staff and the players and my teammates, it's the same as it always is. That's how it's supposed to be."

Skubal, the back-to-back American League Cy Young Award winner, won that arbitration case, setting a record with a $32 million salary. The case remains a topic of conversation months later, particularly after Skubal told The Athletic that the arbitration process may have influenced his decision not to get an MRI in January despite elbow discomfort.

Given the public reaction to those comments, Skubal offered further clarification Thursday.

"I think that's just hindsight," said Skubal. "That's just common sense. I thought we were trending in the right direction throughout this whole process. I had a hiccup in January (where) I didn't know what was going on. I thought it was just a different soreness. I had never dealt with anything like that before. We were trending the right way. That's the reason there was no MRI, there was no discussion of an MRI. We were trending the right way. I continued to make starts and I continued to be a good player … I had that incident in Atlanta and the next two days weren't great. That's when I decided to have an MRI and have a surgery."

Skubal, who missed more than a month after having surgery to remove a loose body from his elbow, pushed back on suggestions that he acted selfishly by not disclosing his discomfort sooner.

"A lot of things that are said about me are not true," said Skubal. "It is what it is. I understand it. But of course, in hindsight, I would have got an MRI in January if I knew that this thing wasn't going to get better. But it didn't. I thought it was getting better for three months, until it wasn't."

Skubal is scheduled to start Friday night against the Royals, a game that could mark his final home outing as a Tiger depending on how Detroit handles the coming days. The Tigers entered Thursday at 26-16 since June 1 but sit 6.5 games behind the White Sox in the AL Central and 4.5 games out of a wild-card spot.

Skubal said he does not expect direct communication with the front office regarding his future.

"Those questions are not for me," said Skubal. "I don't know how they handle the business on that side. Been around it a couple times and (other players) didn't have any idea until about five minutes before you guys did. I assume that's how it's going to be handled because that's how most things are handled."

When a reporter suggested his World Series odds might improve elsewhere, Skubal reiterated his belief in Detroit's current roster.

"I don't know if I believe that," said Skubal. "I don't know if I believe the odds. I've been on a team where we had a 0.2 percent chance to make the playoffs and we did it. So I'm not going to speculate on percentages. I think once you get there it's really hard to win a World Series. It's really hard to get in, and I think this team has all the pieces to be able to do that."

The Boston Red Sox lost for the first time in three weeks Wednesday, falling 5-1 to the Baltimore Orioles in the second game of a doubleheader. The defeat snapped Boston's win streak at 15 games, denying the team a chance to set a new franchise record.

Baltimore jumped on Red Sox rookie starter Eduardo Rivera for four runs in the first inning, and Boston was unable to produce one of the comeback rallies that had become common during its recent surge. Rivera recorded just two outs before being pulled and booed off the field, with right-hander Brayan Bello covering long relief.

Earlier in the day, a 6-3 win over Baltimore had tied the Red Sox with the longest win streak in franchise history, matching a 1946 Ted Williams-led team that reached the World Series. Boston had won every game since July 1, sweeping road series against the Los Angeles Angels, Chicago White Sox and New York Mets before the All-Star break, followed by a four-game sweep of the division-leading Tampa Bay Rays and the first two games of this series against Baltimore.

Rivera started in place of veteran Ranger Suarez, who was expected to return from the injured list Wednesday after recovering from a groin strain, but was sidelined by illness earlier in the week that disrupted his return timeline. Rivera had pitched well before the All-Star break but struggled in his previous outing Friday, a trend that continued Wednesday.

Bello, who had been demoted to Triple-A earlier this season after a difficult start before returning as a long reliever, had not pitched since July 12. He tossed 5⅓ scoreless innings Wednesday to keep Boston within reach of a comeback.

Six of Boston's 15 wins during the streak came from behind, including rallies in four of its previous five games. That trend did not continue Wednesday. Willson Contreras hit a ground-rule double in the fourth inning and scored on a Masataka Yoshida single, but that was the extent of Boston's offense against Orioles starter Kyle Bradish, who allowed just one run over six innings.

The 15-game streak marked the longest in the MLB since the St. Louis Cardinals won 17 straight in 2021. Boston entered the stretch with the worst record in the American League at 32-46 on June 24, but has since gone 20-3 to move into third place in the AL wild-card race.

With 11 days remaining before the Aug. 3 trade deadline, the Red Sox have positioned themselves as a team worth reinforcing. Boston is off Thursday before opening a three-game series this weekend against the struggling Toronto Blue Jays.

The Tampa Bay Rays signed Grady Emerson for $9.75 million Wednesday, setting a new draft record for signing bonuses awarded to a high school player. Emerson, selected second overall by Tampa Bay in the 2026 draft, surpasses the previous record of $9 million set by Ethan Holliday with the Colorado Rockies last year.

Emerson earned Gatorade National Player of the Year honors after batting .532 with a .648 on-base percentage and 1.013 slugging percentage during his senior season at Fort Worth Christian in Texas, adding seven home runs and 50 RBIs. He also became just the second high school player in 20 years of prep eligibility to be named a semifinalist for the Rawlings Golden Spikes Award, joining Bobby Witt Jr., whom Emerson considers a mentor.

Rays scouting director Chuck Ricci addressed expectations for the young infielder earlier this month.

"A player of this caliber, you never want to limit, but you never want to put expectations on, either," said Ricci. "I think if Grady Emerson is Grady Emerson, that's all we can ask. He doesn't try to have to be somebody he's not. We're pretty happy with who he is."

Emerson, a four-time Team USA player who was named to the All-World Team at age 17, stole 31 bases during his senior season and is expected to stick at shortstop, the position he played throughout high school. 

The signing comes amid ongoing labor tension between MLB and the players' union regarding the future eligibility of high school players in the draft. MLB's initial proposal last month called for significant reductions in amateur signing bonuses and the elimination of high school draft picks entirely. The MLBPA formally rejected that proposal Tuesday, instead offering a counterproposal that would largely preserve the current draft structure.

Kansas City Royals shortstop Bobby Witt Jr. was placed on the 10-day injured list Wednesday, retroactive to Tuesday, marking the first IL stint of his five-year career. The move comes as Witt deals with lower back tightness.

Witt sat out Sunday's game against the San Diego Padres before exiting Monday's contest against the San Francisco Giants due to the injury. He did not play Tuesday. The Royals called up infielder Andrew Velazquez from Triple-A Omaha and transferred right-hander Stephen Kolek to the 60-day injured list as corresponding roster moves.

Witt described the extent of the issue to reporters.

"It's just kind of one of those things where the type of way I play, I couldn't be myself out there," said Witt. "And I couldn't even be 50% of myself."

Witt, 26, is batting .279 with 13 home runs, 39 RBIs and a league-leading 30 stolen bases this season. He played in his third consecutive All-Star Game earlier this month, scoring during the American League's four-run win.

Velazquez replaced Witt at shortstop for Wednesday's game against San Francisco. He last appeared in the majors with the Los Angeles Angels in 2023 before bouncing between several organizations' Triple-A affiliates. Kolek last pitched July 2 and is dealing with a right flexor strain after exiting a rehab start Saturday.

Tarik Skubal said the stress of his arbitration battle with the Detroit Tigers may have subconsciously influenced his decision to delay addressing elbow discomfort earlier this year. Skubal, a back-to-back Cy Young Award winner entering a contract year, first noticed something wrong in January.

"I knew something was wrong," said Skubal. "I didn't know what was wrong."

Reflecting on the situation, Skubal acknowledged he might have handled things differently in hindsight.

"If I could go back, I probably should have got an MRI in January and hammered it out to where I was done with it in the offseason," said Skubal. "But there were also other factors in play. I was going through arbitration. The decision by the organization to take me to court, I think that probably had some impact subconsciously."

The Tigers had filed to pay Skubal $19 million for the 2026 season, while his agent, Scott Boras, sought $32 million. A three-person arbitration panel ultimately sided with Skubal, awarding him a record salary for a player with fewer than six years of service time.

Skubal addressed the broader scrutiny that has followed him throughout the season, from the arbitration process to his injury recovery and now speculation surrounding the Aug. 3 trade deadline.

"I understand where I'm at in my career," said Skubal. "I understand how public everything that's happened in my career has been. The fans want to engage. There's some clickbait-y headlines that the media has to write. That's the media's job. I get it. Do I agree with all of them? No. But I get it."

Despite the challenges of the past six months, Skubal said he has come to terms with the situation and feels physically recovered.

"It happened," said Skubal. "It is what it is. I feel good. I feel healthy now."

Tigers catcher Jake Rogers described the tradeoffs that come with Skubal's rising profile in the sport.

"When you're put on a pedestal," said Rogers, "there's good and bad that comes with it."

Skubal said he welcomes the added scrutiny and expectations that come with his standing in the game.

"I want to have those expectations on me," said Skubal. "It's a privilege. Not everybody that plays this game gets to wear that burden."

Athletics rookie Joshua Kuroda-Grauer underwent emergency surgery Monday night to repair a ruptured testicle, hours after fouling a ball directly off himself during the team's 5-2 win over the Arizona Diamondbacks. Kuroda-Grauer managed to remain in the game for another half-inning before eventually being replaced.

The incident occurred in the fifth inning, when Kuroda-Grauer crumpled to the ground after clean contact from a foul ball, prompting immediate attention from a trainer and manager Mark Kotsay. He eventually stood back up, took a few practice swings and completed his at-bat with a single.

A's play-by-play announcer Chris Caray captured the moment in a call that later went viral.

"It looks like he will come up with no balls and one strike," said Caray.

Kuroda-Grauer returned to third base for the following half-inning before being replaced in the bottom of the sixth. He finished the night 2-for-3 with his first career home run, alongside the injury. Kotsay marveled at his rookie's toughness afterward.

"I think he might be the only player in history to (rupture) a testicle, stay in the game, get a hit and play another half inning of defense," said Kotsay.

Kuroda-Grauer, a 2024 third-round pick out of Rutgers, is listed as resting comfortably following surgery, according to a team release. The injury adds to a recent run of similar incidents across baseball. Last month, Yankees second baseman Jazz Chisholm Jr. left an at-bat early after a foul ball struck him in the same area, though in that case the ball ricocheted off the ground first.

Kuroda-Grauer's situation also echoes past incidents involving Adrian Beltre, who took a comparable injury in 2009 and played through an extra-innings game, ultimately scoring the winning run. Beltre described the aftermath in past comments.

"When I look down, after the game, it wasn't a pretty sight," said Beltre. "My testicle got the size of a grapefruit. Thank God it didn't really damage anything. It took me two weeks. It was a tear. A lot of blood inside, but it didn't damage anything."

The MLB Players Association submitted its proposal for the domestic draft Tuesday, presenting a plan that sharply contrasts with the league's own proposal from last month. The union's plan comes 33 days after MLB proposed cutting the draft from 20 to 12 rounds, reducing signing bonuses by more than $150 million and eliminating high school players from eligibility.

The MLBPA's proposal maintains draft eligibility for high school and junior college players while also allowing four-year university players to enter after their sophomore seasons regardless of age. Under current rules, college sophomores are only eligible if they turn 21 by Aug. 1 of their draft year.

The union also wants to preserve a system where signing bonus pools grow alongside industry revenue, which reached $358.7 million in 2026, up from $350.4 million the previous year. Under the proposal, teams designated as small-market under the collective bargaining agreement could add $2 million to their bonus pool in one draft over the next five years, along with an additional $1 million for making the playoffs the prior season.

The MLBPA's plan preserves competitive balance picks, which allow low-revenue and small-market teams to receive additional selections between the first and second rounds or the second and third rounds. The union also proposed loosening penalties for teams that exceed their bonus pools. Under the current agreement, teams face a 75 percent tax and loss of a first-round pick for exceeding their pool by more than 5 percent, with penalties rising to a 100 percent tax and loss of first- and second-round picks beyond 10 percent. The MLBPA's proposal would allow teams to exceed their pools by up to 15 percent without losing a pick, with a first-round pick only forfeited beyond 20 percent overage.

No team has ever exceeded its bonus pool by more than 5 percent under the current system, but the union believes greater flexibility would help teams compete for young talent that might otherwise choose college programs offering NIL compensation or pursue other sports like basketball or football. To further incentivize signing such players, the proposal would allow small-market teams to sign up to two picks before the third round to major league contracts, removing that pick's slot value from the team's bonus pool, a practice permitted before bonus pools were introduced in 2012.

The MLBPA also proposed moving the draft from July to June and allowing teams to trade picks in the first 10 rounds up until two hours before the draft begins.

MLB's June 18 proposal called for a 12-round, hard-slot domestic draft with bonus pools totaling $200 million in 2027, along with a similarly structured international draft, as part of a broader labor package that includes a proposed salary cap and floor at the major league level. The MLBPA has not yet submitted a formal proposal addressing international amateur players born outside the United States, Canada and Puerto Rico.

Brody Bumila, the 18-year-old third-round pick of the Texas Rangers, announced Tuesday that he will require Tommy John surgery to repair damage to the ulnar collateral ligament in his left elbow. The procedure will likely keep him off the mound until at least late 2027.

Bumila, selected 89th overall after graduating high school this year, previously underwent internal-brace surgery on the same UCL in 2025. He informed MLB teams before the draft that additional damage to the ligament would require a further procedure.

The 6-foot-9, 255-pound right-hander had been viewed as a potential first-round talent after posting a 6-0 record with a 1.10 ERA and 106 strikeouts across 44⅓ innings at Bishop Feehan High School in Attleboro, Massachusetts. Bumila addressed the situation in an interview with WBZ-TV in Boston last week.

"I just think you've got to just keep going, not stop. If you think you can achieve your goal, you can achieve it," said Bumila. "I think it just puts a bigger chip on my shoulder to a sense that all the other 29 MLB teams, everyone had an opportunity to take me and they didn't."

The Rangers announced Tuesday that they had signed their top three picks from this year's draft. Bumila agreed to a $2.75 million bonus, left-hander Gio Rojas signed for $4.6 million after being selected 16th overall, and infielder Connor Comeau signed for $2.5 million as the 54th overall pick.

Bumila, who had previously committed to the University of Texas, explained his decision to turn professional despite the injury uncertainty.

"College would be amazing to go to, but every kid's dream is to be a professional baseball player not a college baseball player," said Bumila. "And I got a dollar sum I would consider life changing."

ESPN has laid off longtime broadcaster Karl Ravech on Tuesday as part of its first round of layoffs following the completion of its NFL Network acquisition, according to sources briefed on the moves. Ravech had been one of the network's most prominent on-air voices for more than three decades.

ESPN chairman Jimmy Pitaro addressed the broader layoffs in an internal memo Tuesday.

"We have made significant progress integrating the NFL assets that we acquired into ESPN," said Pitaro. "While most of the job impacts are tied to the acquisition, we will also notify colleagues in other parts of the company today that their positions have been impacted."

Ravech, 61, joined ESPN in 1993 and served as the network's lead play-by-play voice for Major League Baseball coverage, hosted "Baseball Tonight," called college basketball and worked for years as a "SportsCenter" anchor. He called Monday's Phillies-Dodgers game in Philadelphia, just before news of his dismissal emerged.

When reached by phone Tuesday morning, before Pitaro's memo was sent, Ravech said he had not yet been informed of the decision.

Ravech's departure came alongside similar moves affecting other longtime ESPN personalities, including "SportsCenter" anchor David Lloyd and injury analyst Stephania Bell. NFL analyst Ryan Clark was also let go Monday as part of the same round of cuts. ESPN declined further comment on the layoffs.

Colorado Rockies general manager Josh Byrnes orchestrated a trade with his former team Monday, sending right-hander Seth Halvorsen to the Los Angeles Dodgers for two minor league players.

Halvorsen is eligible to come off the 15-day injured list after being placed on it earlier this month with inflammation in his right shoulder. He is 0-1 with a 4.74 ERA across 21 appearances this season.

As part of the deal, Colorado picked up right-handed pitcher Nick Frasso and outfielder Landyn Vidourek from the Dodgers.