LAKELAND, Fla.– The rumblings started earlier in the week. His Team USA teammates were putting a little good-natured heat on Tarik Skubal to maybe stick around for more than one start.

When that news was brought back to Tigers’ manager AJ Hinch, his response was succinct: “I fully expect him to be back in camp.”

Well, guess what. Skubal, after pitching three strong innings in Team USA’s 9-1 win over Great Britain Saturday, is indeed having second thoughts.

“(Team USA) totally gets what is going on with my situation,” Skubal told reporters in Houston after the game. “It’s unique. I’ve had these discussions with people, and most of them are extremely supportive of me being here in the first place. I have a ton of respect for that.

“It’s just hard. When you get into these environments, when you get this team, it’s hard to walk away from that.”

Skubal said he has reached out to the Tigers and to his agent Scott Boras and would take a day or two to think about what he wants to do. It’s a tricky issue. He threw 44 pitches against Great Britain in what was his third start of the spring.

"I don't think anything has been determined," Hinch told reporters in Dunedin,Fla., Sunday. "He's incredibly emotional about the experience. It's a difficult time. It weighs heavily on players because they want to do it all."

Hinch said he had a brief conversation with Skubal Saturday night.

"I let him talk through his emotions and talk through what's on his mind," Hinch said. "And we agreed to talk again as things settle down. ... I don't know how it will all end. I saw the interview, I saw the emotion and I know the human. I know everything matters to him.

"He's in a tough spot because he wants to accomplish everything."

Skubal gave up a leadoff home run and then got the next nine outs with five strikeouts and 14 whiffs.

It’s high-intensity work for mid-camp. Especially for arguably the best pitcher in the game who is on the precipice of potentially the largest free-agent contract ever given to a pitcher. Skubal is one healthy season away from what industry pundits are guessing could be more than a $400 million payday.

“It's a lot to weigh for him,” said Justin Verlander. “I haven't talked to him, but you are gauging what the intensity level was in the game and whether that feels too much or not. He has a lot more information now and that's all you can make the decision on, information.

“He's garnered a lot more info just having been there and throwing in a game and knowing what it feels like and what stress it put on the body."

Most pitchers in Skubal’s position, nine months away from free agency, wouldn’t pitch at all in the WBC. Red Sox ace Garrett Crochet opted not to pitch and he signed a six-year, $170 million extension last April.

But Skubal felt it was worth the risk for the experience. He said it was a win-win. He got to pitch in one game and then return to the Tigers. Now he's hungry for more.

"He's trying to balance both,” Casey Mize said. “He's doing something most of the premier pitchers in our league have not done, which is pitch in that tournament. He deserves credit for that. But he's also trying to stay committed to what we're doing here trying to balance that and it's hard.

“He's in a tough position and people aren't realizing that at times. He's trying to make good decisions along the way.”

If Skubal were to stay on his five-day routine, his next start would be March 12 against the Yankees in Lakeland. The WBC final, if the U.S. advances that far, would line up on Skubal’s start day of March 17.

If Skubal pitched for Team USA that day, it could put his Opening Day start in San Diego March 26 in jeopardy. Conceivably, he could start that game on eight days of rest, but it would throw off his routine heading into an important season for both the team and himself.

"If that's the decision, it makes it even more difficult and I wouldn't blame him for only making one start in the WBC,” Mize said. “Sorry, but I think fans can understand that Tarik Skubal needs to be pitching on Opening Day. Baseball needs him pitching on Opening Day."

The decision, ultimately, is Skubal’s to make. Clearly, pitching for his country has struck a chord with him. He talked about soldiers who have made sacrifices so he and others could play a child’s game for a living.

“I didn’t expect these types of emotions to run through my brain or my thoughts to differ,” Skubal told reporters. “I was pretty committed to making a start and getting back to camp. Things have changed, obviously, that’s why I’m going to have some conversations to try and figure out a plan for me.”

The consensus in the clubhouse in Lakeland Sunday morning was that his Tigers teammates have his back, either way.

“He’s got to do what’s best for him,” Spencer Torkelson said. “And that’s it.”

Riley Greene agreed.

"The competitor side of you wants to go back out there,” he said. “But you also have to think, like, I haven't thrown more than however many pitches, wherever he is in his build-up. And instead of being in Lakeland, Fla., it's in Houston at the WBC. The effort level on your pitches is way up.

“But we support him either way, 100%. It goes both ways for us, too. We want to watch him pitch again but we also want him to pitch for us."

If the fan reaction on social media is any indication, Skubal will be damned if he does and damned if he doesn’t, whatever he decides. And that's both a sign of times and a shame.

"I think the voices that matter see what a monumental decision this is for him,” Verlander said. “The fact that he's even there, for one, is incredible. What would regular guy do if he had that kind of money staring him in the face? It's a lot to weigh.

“It's a life-changing decision."

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