Tarik Skubal, confident Tigers set sights on Padres

Opening Day usually is about beginnings, hopes and dreams.

But for the Detroit Tigers in general and left-hander Tarik Skubal in particular, Thursday's season opener at the San Diego Padres might be about the beginning of the end as much as the start of a new season.

Unless Detroit breaks the bank and signs Skubal to a long-term deal at some point, this likely is his last year with the team. The back-to-back American League Cy Young Award winner has lowered his ERA in each of his first six MLB seasons.

Last year, Skubal went 13-6 with a 2.21 ERA in 31 starts, fanning 241 hitters over 195 1/3 innings. Agent Scott Boras might ask for a contract in the neighborhood of $450 million, a steep price tag for all but MLB's most profitable franchises.

Whether Skubal still is wearing a Tigers uniform next spring or not, they figure to contend for their first AL Central title since 2014. The additions of Framber Valdez, Justin Verlander and Kenley Jansen to an already good pitching staff should make them even better at run prevention.

Offensively, Detroit appears content to count on the returning core players producing better numbers. That's a prospect first baseman Spencer Torkelson thinks will occur.

"Definitely gained a little bit of confidence seeing all the pieces we have," Torkelson said. "When it all comes together, it's going to be a force to be reckoned with."

One new piece appears to be shortstop Kevin McGonigle, who won the shortstop job. If the 21-year-old starts on Thursday, he'll join a group that includes Hall of Famers Ty Cobb, Harry Heilmann, Al Kaline, Alan Trammell and Lou Whitaker as Tigers to earn Opening Day starts before turning 22.

Meanwhile, the Padres, like Detroit, are vying for their third straight postseason appearance. They will do so under a new manager, Craig Stammen, who was hired after Mike Shildt stepped down following last October's wild-card loss to the Chicago Cubs.

Stammen inherits a team that has tried to improve at the margins during the winter. They landed right-handed power bats in Nick Castellanos and Miguel Andujar to help with their problem against left-handed starters last year. And they'll count on the likes of Fernando Tatis Jr., Manny Machado and Jackson Merrill to enjoy big seasons.

Their Opening Day starter is Nick Pivetta, coming off the best year of his career. Insiders thought he would improve with a pitcher's park as his home base, but few saw him going 13-5 with a 2.87 ERA and 190 strikeouts in 181 2/3 innings.

"You just kind of look at the guys that have gotten Opening Days in the past that I played with, they're all great pitchers, great human beings," Pivetta said. "So it's just an honor to be able to get that."

Both pitchers have enjoyed success against the teams they're facing Thursday. Skubal allowed two unearned runs over six innings in his only career outing against San Diego, while Pivetta checked the Tigers on two hits in seven shutout innings last April during a 2-0 win at Comerica Park.

--Field Level Media