The Detroit Tigers unsurprisingly traded starting pitcher Tarik Skubal before the MLB trade deadline. However, Detroit has suddenly won five of its past six games and the team is only one game back of an American League Wild Card spot and 3.5 games back in the American League Central standings. Is the American League a joke this year? While injuries and overall underperformance led to a disappointing first half of the season, the Tigers are beginning to display their potential despite now being without Skubal and Mize. Given the joke that the American League has become this year, the Tigers are a serious contender in the league.