The Detroit Tigers will not have the luxury of focusing solely on baseball during the 2026 MLB campaign. They can say all the right things and do their best to tune out all the noise, but Tarik Skubal's future will remain a big storyline until a conclusion is reached. What everyone can do, though, is maintain a professional outlook. The two-time reigning American League Cy Young Award winner is fully committed to the franchise this year, and that is all the clubhouse can ask for.
When negotiations for a 2026 salary landed miles apart — one could have expected Skubal to project an unpleasant demeanor. Instead, he stayed respectful through the whole process. He won his arbitration case on Thursday and will now rake in $32 million in the final year of his contract. Detroit manager AJ Hinch commended his ace for how he handled the situation.
“{The business side of things} just has been separated from what we're doing,” he told “Foul Territory” on Friday. “It's part of the business, it's part of growing up. It's easy to get hardened by the process of growing through the {pre-arbitration} years to the {arbitration} years to the potential of free agency, and I've seen it in my day… What I love about Tarik is that he's handling it like a true pro.”
AJ Hinch says Tarik Skubal handled separating business from baseball like a true professional. pic.twitter.com/AHY60gYDNd
— Foul Territory (@FoulTerritoryTV) February 6, 2026
Hinch has no qualms about Skubal's focus. The left-handed starting pitcher is not publicly expressing any bitterness toward Tigers brass and is clearly excited about what the team can accomplish in the upcoming season. The 2024 pitching Triple Crown winner may not re-sign with Detroit, but he does not look like a man who is ready to leave town. Skubal wants to embrace all the time he has left in the Motor City.
And the Tigers will try to squeeze out all the value he has left to offer them, whether that means riding his dominance to a another October run or dealing him away for a big haul of prospects at the trade deadline. Tarik Skubal will face difficult questions throughout the campaign, but he is clearly living in the moment.
The 29-year-old will bring a career 3.08 ERA and 1.025 WHIP into the new season. Come next winter, he will probably be the highest-paid hurler in MLB history.
