DETROIT — In case there was any doubt, Tarik Skubal said Thursday afternoon he would prefer not to be traded in advance of the Aug. 3 MLB trade deadline.“I think we have a chance to win a World Series,” Skubal said. “I’ve said that since spring training. That’s never changed. That belief in this team has never changed throughout the season. … Going into spring training, the whole offseason, I’ve never been more motivated to try to win a World Series for this city, the team that drafted me in 2018 and helped develop me. That’s always been the goal, and that will never change unless I’m told I’m on a different team.”In the same conversation, Skubal admitted his relationship with the Tigers’ front office changed as a result of his high-profile arbitration case in January.“Of course when you take a player to arbitration there’s not a ton of positive things that come out of that process, relationship-wise,” Skubal said. “That’s pretty obvious. But my relationship with the coaching staff and the players and my teammates, it’s the same as it always is. That’s how it’s supposed to be. But as far as going through that process and sitting in that room, you guys should go experience that for yourselves.”Skubal, the back-to-back American League Cy Young Award winner, ended up winning that arbitration case and setting a record with a $32 million arbitration salary. Months later, the hearing remains a newsworthy topic, in part because Skubal recently told The Athletic his pending arbitration played a role in why he did not get an MRI in January after experiencing discomfort in his elbow.“If I could go back, I probably should have got an MRI in January and hammered it out to where I was done with it in the offseason,” Skubal had said. “But there were also other factors in play. I was going through arbitration. The decision by the organization to take me to court, I think that probably had some impact subconsciously.”