The Tigers’ Big Move

The Detroit Tigers had quite the week.

First, they went cheap on their ace.

Then they went shopping for his replacement.

Coincidence?

Not a chance.

Detroit landed Framber Valdez.

Three years.
$115 million.

The last elite starter on the market.

A true workhorse.
A ground-ball machine.
A frontline ace.

A succession plan.

Hours earlier, Detroit tried to cap Tarik Skubal at $19 million in arbitration.

After back-to-back Cy Young awards.
After carrying the franchise.
After becoming one of the best pitchers on the planet.

They went to arbitration.

And Skubal walked away with $32 million — the largest arbitration award ever.

Not just a raise.

A statement.

Here’s what Detroit quietly told the league:

✔ We’re not paying Skubal like a $40M-a-year superstar
✔ His clock is ticking
✔ We just lined up his replacement

Skubal is now:

• One year from free agency
• At peak trade value
• Fresh off a scorched-earth arbitration fight

That’s the perfect setup for a blockbuster.

And now the Tigers can move him without blowing up the rotation.

Valdez is already in place.

Detroit suddenly has a real one-two punch.

Which makes this the window.

Move him now.

Turn peak value into a haul of prospects.

Let Valdez anchor the staff.

Expect the rumors to heat up fast.

And don’t be shocked if Skubal is wearing a different uniform by July.

Detroit spent $115 million.
Lost an arbitration fight.
And quietly reset their future — all in one afternoon.

Two pitchers.

One very clear message.

Tarik Skubal’s time in Detroit is ticking.

Later, a story you won’t believe.

The anticipation for the upcoming World Baseball Classic is growing.

Just a month away.

The game’s biggest stars representing their countries.
Playoff energy in March.

But as the tournament gets closer, the hiccups are already starting.

That nasty word:

Insurance.

Yes — insurance.

Insurance companies are quietly picking the rosters.

Over the past week, a wave of players have been forced out — not by their teams, but by insurers refusing to cover them.

Puerto Rico has been hit especially hard.

Captain Francisco Lindor was denied coverage after offseason elbow surgery.
So were Carlos Correa, José Berríos, and several others.

It’s gotten so bad there’s real concern Puerto Rico may not even be able to field a full roster.

MLB and the players union are scrambling, lobbying insurers to loosen restrictions.

But the pattern is obvious.

Older players.
Recent injuries.
Anything that looks risky.

No coverage.
No WBC.

Players technically have options.

Play uninsured and risk their contracts.
Buy insurance themselves.
Or walk away.

Most are walking away.

That’s why even stars like José Altuve have reportedly been denied coverage.

This isn’t random.

It’s risk management taking over.

And it traces back to 2023.

When Edwin Díaz blew out his knee celebrating and missed the entire season.
When Altuve fractured his thumb and didn’t return until May.

Insurers saw the bills.

Now they’re changing the rules.

The MVP of this year’s WBC might just be the insurance companies — slowly shaping rosters like general managers.

We all remember that iconic 2023 moment when Shohei Ohtani struck out Mike Trout to win it for Japan.

We won’t be seeing that in 2026.

Dodgers manager Dave Roberts says Ohtani won’t be pitching.

He’ll hit.

But the mound?

Nope.

The tournament field is not being watered down by lack of interest.

It’s being reshaped by spreadsheets.

By age thresholds.
By injury histories.
By insurers deciding who’s “worth the risk.”

And nothing drains the magic out of international baseball faster than insurance deductibles.

I know this is a baseball newsletter — but when a heavyweight fighter loses his toupee mid-fight, we’re talking about it.

Yes! A Toupee!

At Madison Square Garden, Jarrell Miller took an uppercut from Kingsley Ibeh in Round 2 that knocked his hairpiece clean off.

Not loose.

Not crooked.

Gone.

Miller’s response?

He ripped it off before Round 3 and flung it into the crowd like a souvenir.

Later, Miller explained he’d accidentally washed his hair with ammonia bleach a couple days before the fight and bought the toupee to cover the damage.

“I’m a comedian,” he said afterward.

“You have to make fun of yourself.”

He won by split decision.

The internet won by knockout.

Lesson for us all:

Be careful with those hair products. 😂

Watch the video

If you’re old enough, you remember Dock Ellis.

If you’re not, buckle up.

In 1970, the Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher showed up to the ballpark thinking it was his day off.

It wasn’t.

The night before, Ellis had taken LSD.

Lost track of time.
Woke up late.
Rushed to the stadium.

And was told:

You’re starting today.

Ellis later said he couldn’t clearly see the catcher.
Or the batter.
Or the strike zone.

Everything was blurry.
Wavy.
Surreal.

So he did the only thing he could.

He threw.

Hard.

Inning after inning, nobody got a hit.

He walked eight guys.
Hit a batter.
Barely knew where the ball was going.

But somehow, nobody touched it.

Nine innings later, Ellis had thrown a no-hitter — one of the rarest feats in baseball history.

While tripping.

After the final out, his teammates mobbed him.

Ellis was confused.

He didn’t even realize what he’d done.

Only later did he learn the truth:

He’d made baseball history.

On LSD.

Baseball has seen legends.
It has seen miracles.

But never quite a no-hitter like that one.

Update: Yasiel Puig found guilty in gambling probe.
The former Major leaguer faces up to 20 years in federal prison.

Paul Skenes and Livvy Dunne might just be baseball’s version of Taylor and Travis.

Okay.
Not exactly.

But they’re definitely becoming that couple in the baseball world.

Last weekend, Dunne decided to experience life from the scariest place in sports.

The batter’s box.

Her boyfriend on the mound.

The same boyfriend who throws harder than just about anyone in baseball.

Livvy dug in.

Skenes fired.

To her credit, she didn’t bail.
Didn’t flinch.
Didn’t sprint for safety.

She stood in there like a champ.

Afterward, she summed it up:

“Pure fright.”

She even called it “the ultimate test of trust.”

Which loosely translates to:

“I love you — but please never do that again.”

Physically?

She survived.

Mentally?

She now understands why hitters sometimes look like they’ve seen a ghost in the box.

The good news for Livvy — that was a one-time thrill ride.

The bad news for everyone else in baseball?

They get to face Paul Skenes every fifth day.

That’s all for now.

If you enjoyed this one, tell a friend.
If you didn’t, tell an enemy.

Either way — thanks for riding along.

John Boxley
High N Tight