PHOENIX — Freddie Freeman wasn’t upset when he heard the remarks Tarik Skubal made last week about wanting to return to the Detroit Tigers as a free agent.

Freeman understood.

“You’re not just gonna flip a switch and be, like, ‘Oh, I’m great,’” Freeman said.

Dodgers pitcher Tarik Skubal is scheduled to make his first home start Monday against the Royals. Getty Images

Freeman was in a similar position four years ago. 

For Freeman, the disappointment over not working out a new deal with the Atlanta Braves wasn’t something he overcame the moment he signed his Dodgers contract. 

Moving on required more than that.

Which was why Freeman said he thought Skubal would benefit from making his home debut with the Dodgers on Monday night. 

“When you see 50-some thousand people rally around you, it’s definitely going to give him a more amped-up feeling,” Freeman said. 

Skubal said he was looking forward to his start at Dodger Stadium against the Kansas City Royals. The start will be Skubal’s second in a Dodgers uniform.

“I’m excited to get in front of our own fans and get to know them and build relationships with them,” Skubal told The California Post. “Hopefully, they come to enjoy who I am and what I bring to the table.”

The two-time Cy Young Award winner acknowledged he was still coming to terms with being traded by the Tigers, the only organization for which he’d played as a professional. 

“It’s all pretty fresh,” Skubal said.

Skubal bumps fists with Ben Rortvedt during the game against the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field in Chicago. Getty Images

In an interview on the “Pardon My Take” podcast, 29-year-old Skubal said he cried as he said goodbye to his Tigers teammates after being informed of the trade. Skubal made headlines in that interview when he said he hoped the Tigers would make an effort to re-sign him when he becomes a free agent after this season.

“I would love to return,” he said.

The remarks were not well received in Los Angeles, but Skubal said there shouldn’t be any concerns about his feelings affecting his on-field performance.

“At the end of the day, I gotta do my job here,” he said. “Go play baseball and go out there and compete. Shift the mentality to give everything that I got to this team and the city of Los Angeles. That’s kind of where I have to shift to.”

Freeman said what Skubal was feeling was entirely natural.

“You have all these friends, all these people you came up with in the minor leagues that are now with you as teammates,” Freeman said. “You had 15-hour bus rides together. You’re doing all these things together. The organization invested in you. You invested in them. You can do everything you can to win a World Series, and it doesn’t happen, and then you get traded. So, you’re going to have emotions.”

Skubal’s agent denied that he ever said Skubal wanted to test the open market. AP Photo/Melissa Tamez

When Freeman moved to the Dodgers in 2022, he said he found a measure of comfort in the inviting environment at his new home stadium. He was hopeful it would have the same effect on Skubal.

“Dodger Stadium is a special, special place, especially [with] those fans,” Freeman said. “They welcome the new guys in with open arms. They know how special he is, and what he means to the team and helping win another championship. I’m sure it’s going to be quite loud on a Monday night in August.”

While Freeman was certain of how Skubal would be received at Dodger Stadium, he was confused by whatever vitriol was directed at the left-hander, particularly from Tigers fans.

“He got traded,” Freeman said. “There’s nothing he could have done, unless they gave him a billion dollars and he didn’t say yes to that.”

Scott Harris, the Tigers’ president of baseball operations, said he approached Skubal’s camp about a contract extension at some point, only to be informed that Skubal intended to become a free agent.

Skubal’s agent, Scott Boras, denied that he ever said Skubal wanted to test the open market. Boras said Skubal was approached by the Tigers after the 2024 season, and that their offer was light: $75 million over four years.

In the spring that followed, Garrett Crochet signed a six-year, $170 million extension with the Boston Red Sox. Crochet hadn’t won a Cy Young Award. Skubal had.

Skubal is scheduled to visit Comerica Park at the end of August. Getty Images

Skubal wasn’t interested in revisiting any of that.

“It doesn’t do me any good to kind of get into it,” he said.

Closure came for Freeman when the Dodgers visited the Braves in Atlanta. He received a standing ovation at Truist Park. He wept.

The Dodgers play the Tigers in Detroit in a three-game series from Aug. 28–30.

“I don’t know what to expect or if I’m going to start there,” Skubal said. “I’m sure it’ll be emotional. I’m sure it’ll be a ton of fun, too, because I love all those guys. I’ve been competing with them for so long, it’ll be new to compete against them. Baseball’s the game. You gotta keep the game the game, and I look forward to it no matter how it spins out.”

Skubal said he wanted Tigers fans to know how much he appreciated them.

“I think what happened is just the business of baseball,” he said. “If anything, I’ve hopefully made myself clear that I thoroughly enjoyed my time in Detroit. I’ve said that multiple times.”

Reflecting on the past hasn’t kept Skubal from welcoming the opportunity in front of him. He pitched at Dodger Stadium as a visitor last year, and now he welcomes the opportunity to pitch there as a home player.

“It gets loud all the time, and they create a really good environment just to play baseball,” he said. “I’m excited to be on the other side this time and have the support at my back instead of against me. It’s going to be fun. I’m excited. I’m looking forward to it, for sure.”

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