Tarik Skubal mulls changing WBC plan: Hard to walk away

Tarik Skubal says he is considering pitching again for the United States at the World Baseball Classic, a potential change in plans for the Detroit Tigers‘ ace.

Skubal initially planned to make one appearance for the U.S. before returning to the Tigers to resume his spring training preparation for the upcoming Major League Baseball season.

But after making his WBC debut in Saturday’s victory over Great Britain, Skubal admitted to having second thoughts about leaving the star-studded U.S. team.

“I didn’t expect these types of emotions to run through my brain or my thoughts to differ,” Skubal told reporters. “I was pretty committed to making a start and getting back to camp.

“Things have changed, obviously. That’s why I’m going to have some conversations and try to figure out a plan for me. But yeah, I don’t know either way.”

Skubal is entering what could be his final season with the Tigers and is expected to land a lucrative long-term contract if he hits free agency next offseason.

The reigning two-time American League Cy Young Award winner said he was having conversations with the Tigers and his agent, Scott Boras, but emphasized that he was “not in the right headspace to make a decision right now.”

Tigers manager A.J. Hinch told reporters that he briefly spoke with Skubal on Saturday night, adding that the ace left-hander is “in a tough spot to accomplish everything.”

“I don’t think anything’s been determined,” Hinch said Sunday, according to MLB.com. “I think he’s incredibly emotional about the experience. It’s a difficult time that weighs heavily on players because they want to do it all.”

Skubal also expressed gratitude to Team USA for accommodating his “unique” situation and noted that he is facing “one of the tougher decisions I’ve made in my career so far.”

“They’ve been extremely supportive of everything,” Skubal said. “They totally get what’s going on with my situation — it’s unique. I’ve had these discussions with people, and most of it is — they’re extremely supportive of me being here in the first place. And I’ve got a ton of respect for that.

“But it’s just hard. When you get in these environments, and you get this team, it’s hard to walk away from that.”

The U.S. improved to 2-0 in WBC pool play with Saturday’s 9-1 victory over Great Britain. Skubal allowed a home run to Nate Eaton on the game’s very first pitch before settling in and finishing with five strikeouts on 41 pitches over three innings.

“My legs were a little light there early in the game, and that means you’re in a really cool environment,” Skubal said. “This is one of those games that there’s just different emotions that run through you that don’t really run through you when you’re playing in the big leagues.”