LAS VEGAS – I had a long list of questions to ask Detroit Tigers president of baseball operations Scott Harris at the general manager meetings.

And this one wasn’t even on the top of the list. It was in the middle somewhere.

“Do you have any interest in [Tarik] Skubal?” I asked Harris on Tuesday, Nov. 10.

He flashed a smile.

Now, before I get to his answer, let me set the scene. Harris was standing in the ballroom of a fancy hotel, located on the Vegas strip where the GM meetings were being held, and he was surrounded by a small group of reporters. Scattered across the room, the other American League big wigs from around the big leagues were surrounded by other reporters. The AL executives were scheduled to the talk to the media for about an hour, followed by the NL executives.

Some of the national reporters floated from executive to executive, while many of the beat writers stuck with the team they cover. All across the room, the questions were coming in rapid fire. One hour of availability. Let it rip.

“You know I can’t answer that,” Harris said to my question. “I can’t talk about any free agents here. So, you know how we feel about the guy. But that’s about as far as I can go.”

So, that was his answer – or non-answer – to my question about Skubal. About what I expected. It was more due diligence on my part, to be honest. I figured fans would be curious. So, I asked it.

Get ready for the nuttiness

Now, keep something in mind: We have entered the silly season of the MLB calendar.

The time when rumors spread, when agents try to stir up interest, when there is – frankly – far more fiction than facts. Just speculation and smoke and talk. So, when you hear a hot rumor – and I’m certain it’s going to come at some point − that the Tigers are in on the Skubal sweepstakes, that they are one of the interested parties, I would suggest something:

Don’t believe it.

Scott Boras, Skubal’s agent, is a master at trying to drive up prices, driving up interest, pitting team against team, whispering something to a reporter and trying to whip up different fan bases, hoping they pressure their team into spending big. That’s his job. And he’s really good at it.

Agents (or front office folks) tell reporters something. Reporters ask questions about it. And then it turns into a story. Now, in this age, the first story gets aggregated into more stories, and those spread to different websites. Across social media. On sports talk radio. And before long, all that smoke feels like there is fire.

That’s how it works.

But here’s the truth. Let’s stop it before it starts: The Tigers are not going to shell out over $400 million for a pitcher. Even one as great at Skubal.

They didn’t offer him that when they had him.

And they aren’t going to do it in the silly season.

Could Tigers trade Riley Greene?

So, let me take you back inside that room.

As a few writers from Detroit were talking to Harris, Jon Paul Morosi was standing behind us with a camera crew, patiently waiting for us to finish. Morosi works for MLB Network, and I have tremendous respect for him. He used to work at the Free Press and lives in metro Detroit. In fact, we are both Bay City boys (he went to Garber, I went to John Glenn).

Strange tidbit: His mother works in health care, and she once took care of my ailing mother.

I say all of that to stress: Morosi is a smart, well-sourced reporter. He doesn’t make stuff up.

Anyhow, after the Detroit reporters were done talking to Harris – or at least, stopped for a moment − we kind of moved to the side. And Morosi started talking to Harris with the camera rolling. To be completely honest, even though I was only a few feet away, I was checking my notes and wasn’t listening. I was trying to make sure that I had asked Harris everything on my list.

But I saw the tape later. In fact, it was spreading across the internet, on social media, getting aggregated.

Morosi put out a tweet that read: “Tigers OF Riley Greene has been mentioned as a trade candidate by industry execs here at the GM meetings.”

And then, he included a snippet from the interview. “With Riley Greene now just two years from free agency himself, how important is it to know what his trade value could be, if you can’t extend him?” Marosi asked Harris.

“We love Riley,” Harris said. “I’m focused on Riley being a big part of the middle of our order, and he makes us better in a bunch of different ways. Obviously, on the trade front, we’ve got to listen to everything. But it’s not what we’re focused on right now.”

That interview was done quickly. It was over in a blink. Harris turned and Detroit reporters resumed asking him more questions.

So, what do I think?

I think that the Tigers would listen to offers on darn near anybody. I think the only person on this roster who is completely, absolutely untouchable is Kevin McGonigle, the American League Rookie of the Year.

But read everything closely. Morosi didn’t say the Tigers put Greene up on the block. He didn’t say the Tigers are shopping him. Morosi said Greene has been “mentioned.”

So, let’s cut to the chase: Do I think the Tigers are actively trying to trade Greene right now? To answer that question, let me go back to what Harris said to Morosi: “It’s not what we’re focused on right now.”

I’ve known Harris for several years. I’ve had lots of conversations with him, both on the record and off, and I truly believe that part was completely honest.

Contact Jeff Seidel: jseidel@freepress.com. Follow him on X @seideljeff.

This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Why Tigers fans shouldn’t buy into any hype about a Tarik Skubal reunion

Reporting by Jeff Seidel, Detroit Free Press / Detroit Free Press

USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect