Spring training hasn’t even started and Tigers fans are already up in arms. While other teams are out signing free agents, Tigers owner Chris Ilitch and Director of Baseball Operations Scott Harris are now in an arbitration battle with the league’s best pitcher, Tarik Skubal.
During the offseason, players who aren’t eligible for free agency will be tendered contracts by the club that they play for, some being offered more than others. If the player and club cannot agree, the two must exchange salaries by a set deadline, usually around mid-January, and an ultimate ruling is handed down by a panel of arbitrators.
If clubs are lucky, they can agree on a figure with players relatively quickly and painlessly, unless you’re the Tigers, who set the league record for the biggest difference in salary figures with Tarik Skubal, who is set to become a free agent after the 2026 season. Skubal asked for $32 million, and the Tigers filed $19 million with the arbitrators.
If history is any indication, the midpoint that the arbitrators come up with will lean in Skubal’s favor. Especially considering his back-to-back Cy Young Awards. Tigers fans have been berating Chris Ilitch to sign the 29-year-old lefty to a longer deal since the 2024 season, but it seems as if Detroit is unwilling to meet the predicted $400 million extension is it rumored that Skubal and superagent Scott Boras desire.
During this offseason, Skubal has done quite the tour around town, making stops at multiple different Detroit Lions, Pistons and Red Wings games ever since the Tigers fell to the Seattle Mariners in this year’s ALDS, making it seem like he wants to stick around, but Tigers fans shouldn’t be too shocked if Skubal is traded, or is even let go.
Detroit has had a brutal history with long-term extensions, and if Scott Harris’ past is any indication, Skubal will be in New York or Los Angeles come 2027, while the Tigers focus on continuing to build a young star-studded roster internally.
Alex Deimel is a contributing writer for Michigan Enjoyer.
