The Detroit Tigers are seven games below .500 and rating as big disappointments as the trade deadline nears.

A strong performance against the free-falling Athletics may be a necessity to avoid at least a partial teardown as the Tigers open the three-game set on Friday night at West Sacramento, Calif.

Detroit was part of the playoff field the past two seasons but stands 4 1/2 games behind the Cleveland Guardians, who currently hold the American League’s third wild-card spot. Four teams are between the Tigers and Guardians.

Detroit ace left-hander Tarik Skubal has been the topic of many trade rumors. The two-time AL Cy Young winner is slated to become a free agent following the season.

Skubal, 29, was well aware his Wednesday outing might have been his 150th and final start for the Tigers. He took a 7-0 lead into the seventh inning before tiring, and Detroit ended up losing 10-9 in 12 innings to the Baltimore Orioles.

“It’s been a helluva ride,” said Skubal, sounding as if he expects to be elsewhere by Monday. “I wouldn’t change anything, wouldn’t change one bit of it, just my whole story, my whole life. It made me who I am, and I appreciate that.

“It is a little nostalgic, right? I don’t really like thinking like that. Hopefully there’s a lot more in the future, too. It’s cool nonetheless.”

The Tigers are expected to call up No. 1 prospect Max Clark from Triple-A Toledo prior to the opener. The outfielder is the No. 13 prospect in the big leagues, according to MLB Pipeline.

Clark, the No. 3 overall pick in 2023, was batting .276 with 11 homers, 21 stolen bases and 42 RBIs in 90 games at Toledo.

Detroit traded catcher Jake Rogers to the Orioles on Thursday for minor-league right-hander Zane Barnhart. Rogers had been designated for assignment by the club on Tuesday.

The Athletics have dropped five of six games and 26 of 33 after falling 5-4 to the visiting Boston Red Sox on Thursday.

All-Star first baseman Nick Kurtz (left forearm) was in the lineup after an MRI exam came back clean. He went 0-for-4 with a walk one day after being plunked by Red Sox left-hander Patrick Sandoval on Wednesday night.

“Everything was clean on the MRI,” Athletics manager Mark Kotsay told reporters. “Outside of just the bruising in the area, he feels strong and feels good. We escaped one there.”

Kurtz is in a 1-for-34 slump over his past 11 games.

The Tigers scratched scheduled starter Casey Mize on Friday morning with a non-injury designation, raising questions as to whether he started his last game with the team. Like Skubal, Mize becomes a free agent at season’s end.

“There’s a lot of unknown with what the next (few) days are going to bring,” Mize said Wednesday. “I’m just as curious as anybody. It’s all around us, can’t really avoid it. We’ll see. I don’t know what’s going to happen, but I’m aware. (Last Saturday) could’ve been my last home start.”

The Tigers did not announce a starter in place of Mize, who is winless over his last three starts (0-1).

Mize pitched well against the Kansas City Royals last Saturday when he gave up one run and three hits over six innings.

Athletics left-hander Jeffrey Springs (3-10, 6.23) is winless over his last 17 starts after winning his first three decisions this season.

Springs lasted just 1 1/3 innings during last Sunday’s 11-8 loss to the Minnesota Twins. He gave up five runs (four earned) and four hits over 1 1/3 innings.

Springs, 33, lost to the Tigers on July 8 when he gave up six runs and six hits over 4 1/3 innings. He served up a three-run homer to Spencer Torkelson and a two-run blast to Rogers.

Springs is 2-2 with a 2.95 ERA in four career starts against Detroit. Torkelson has taken Springs deep twice and Gleyber Torres has hit one homer off him.

–Field Level Media

The New York Mets scratched veteran right-hander Freddy Peralta from his scheduled start against the visiting Miami Marlins on Friday, the New York Post reported.

Per the report, Peralta has attracted interest from other teams ahead of Monday’s trade deadline (6 p.m. ET).

The reported move also comes on the heels of the last-place Mets trading left-handed reliever A.J. Minter to the Minnesota Twins in exchange for minor league infielders Bruin Agbayani and Billy Amick.

Peralta, 30, is 5-9 with 4.99 ERA in 22 appearances (all starts) this season. He is in the final season of his contract.

The Mets’ Opening Day starter, Peralta lasted at least six innings just six times in 22 starts. His ERA is almost twice as high as last season, when he led the NL with 17 wins and posted a 2.70 ERA.

“I know so far that I’ve let them down,” Peralta said following his start on Sunday, when he didn’t factor into the decision after allowing three runs (two earned) over four innings in the Mets’ 8-3 win over the Los Angeles Dodgers.

“I haven’t done what I’m supposed to do.”

The Mets, in the cellar in the National League East, hold the second-worst record (47-63) in the NL ahead of only the Colorado Rockies (42-67).

–Field Level Media

The Milwaukee Brewers acquired catcher Bo Naylor and right-hander Codi Heuer from the Cleveland Guardians on Saturday in exchange for outfielder Blake Perkins and right-hander Craig Yoho.

The move comes two days before the major-league trade deadline on Monday (6 p.m. ET).

Naylor, 26, is batting just .143 with two homers and seven RBIs in 28 games this season for the Guardians.

He is a career .199 hitter with 40 homers and 125 RBIs in 346 games since being selected by Cleveland with the 29th overall pick of the 2018 MLB Draft.

Heuer, 30, is 0-1 with a 4.66 ERA in eight relief appearances this season.

He is 10-5 with three saves and a 3.76 ERA in 97 career appearances with five different teams.

Perkins, 29, is batting .157 with one homer and 11 RBIs in 55 games this season.

He is a career .223 hitter with 14 homers and 93 RBIs in 297 games with the Brewers

Yoho, 26, is 2-0 with a 3.15 ERA in 15 appearances this season.

He has the same record with a 4.40 ERA since being selected by Milwaukee in the eighth round of the 2023 MLB Draft.

–Field Level Media