Tarik Skubal injury will show MLB vast difference between Yankees and Tigers

The Detroit Tigers were dealt a serious blow when it was announced that reigning two-time AL Cy Young winner Tarik Skubal would be undergoing elbow surgery to remove loose bodies from his left elbow. The 29-year-old is suffering from a similar condition to the one that Carlos Rodón valiantly pitched through and had surgery to address over the offseason. The Tigers are now facing a predicament that the New York Yankees know very well.

The last non-Skubal Cy Young winner in the American League was Gerrit Cole in 2023. While he's on the comeback trail now, Cole hasn't pitched in a big league game since the 2024 World Series. Losing the ace was a blow few teams understand, but Detroit is now set to feel that same pain.

The Yankees survived the loss of Cole relatively well in 2025. The starting rotation finished last season with a 3.61 ERA, which was good for fourth in the majors and ahead of the Tigers' 3.91 mark. It's important to note that New York lost not only Cole but also Clarke Schmidt for two large swaths of the year, as well as a good chunk of time from Luis Gil, leading them to rely heavily on the likes of Marcus Stroman and Carlos Carrasco in the early going.

Still without Cole (and Rodón and Schmidt) in 2026, the Yankees aren't just surviving. They're flourishing. The starters have combined for far and away the best ERA in the majors at 2.77 through 36 games.

There are some very clear reasons why New York's rotation is dominating, and also why Detroit won't be able to replicate a similar situation.

Yankees' masterclass in surviving injuries will not be replicatable by Tigers sans Tarik Skubal

Tigers fans will probably start out with the fact that they're missing Casey Mize, Reese Olson, and Justin Verlander. Again, the response is the same. The Yankees haven't just been without Cole, but also Schmidt and Rodón so far this season, and it hasn't mattered.

There are also some similarities between the two clubs. Both went out and signed arguably the best left-handed starter on the market prior to their aces' respective injuries, with Max Fried landing in the Bronx during the 2024-2025 offseason, and Framber Valdez heading to Detroit this past winter.

That's where the differences begin. Fried put the Yankees on his shoulders with Cole out of the picture, finishing fourth in last year's Cy Young voting. In his first start since the Skubal injury news broke, Valdez gave up 10 runs (seven earned) to the Boston Red Sox's pitiful offense and completely lost his composure, plunking Trevor Story after giving up back-to-back homers, earning an ejection for his tantrum.

Yankees fans, of course, have seen this side of Valdez after he intentionally drilled his catcher in the chest following a Trent Grisham grand slam last September. This time, things will be even worse as ESPN's Buster Olney reports that he's in line for a suspension, speculating that it will be for at least seven games.

Beyond that, the Yankees have had numerous players step up as their pitching development has been a tour de force. Cam Schlittler has become the best pitcher in the American League. Will Warren has been a revelation. Ryan Weathers has proven that the Yankees did not have to trade for an ace.

Meanwhile, Detroit seems to be in a whole heap of trouble. In addition to Valdez, veteran Jack Flaherty is showing once again that his 2024 campaign was fool's gold, posting a 5.90 ERA and a 17.7% walk rate. Youngster Keider Montero has gotten good results, with a 3.48 ERA, but a 4.40 SIERA and 4.52 xFIP suggest that he'll regress.

Ironically, the Tigers are regarded as having the better farm system, and while that might be true on the position player side, the Yankees' pitching depth is unmatched. Funny enough, New York reportedly engaged Detroit about a Tarik Skubal trade at the height of his offseason drama. The Tigers laughed them off the phone, but even before the Skubal injury, they might have been better off listening to what Brian Cashman had to say.

The Tigers are now between a rock and a hard place, staring into the abyss as Skubal's return might come too late for them to truly make a run. Contrast that with how the Yankees have weathered a similar situation, and you can see that the organization deserves a lot of credit.

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