Skubal on trade rumors: It would be great if the Detroit Tigers start winning.

As a free-agent-to-be, Tigers ace Tarik Skubal, who could return soon after elbow surgery, is the center of trade attention. He believes if the Tigers start winning, trade rumors become irrelevant.

"Regarding these trade rumors, all we need to do is start winning," Skubal said about the speculation. "Last year there were no trade rumors about me. Winning calms everything down, and that's what this team needs to do now."

The trade deadline is at 6 a.m. Beijing time on August 4. The 29-year-old Skubal said he doesn't pay attention to trade rumors: "Those are things I can't control, so why should I care? What others say is beyond my control. I only care about the opinions of the people in this clubhouse."

The Tigers won only six of 28 games in May. As of yesterday, their season record is 23-38, tied with the Los Angeles Angels and Colorado Rockies for the worst in all of Major League Baseball.

Skubal, who has won the American League Cy Young Award for the past two years, started this season with seven games, pitching 43.1 innings, recording 45 strikeouts and only six walks, with a 2.70 ERA. Although he hasn't pitched since April 30 due to surgery to remove loose bodies from his left elbow, the new procedure he underwent is said to have a shorter recovery time, allowing him to return faster. Nearly a month after surgery, he recently threw 64 pitches (equivalent to four innings) in a simulated game and may next pitch in minor league rehab outings, with a chance to return before the end of June.