Entering the final year of his contract, Tarik Skubal's future with the Detroit Tigers is up in the air. Perhaps the most surprising factor is Detroit's lack of urgency in re-signing their ace.
Of course, Skubal is set to command a potentially historic contract after winning back-to-back Cy Youngs. But the Tigers haven't even gotten the ball rolling by making the left-hander an offer, via Bob Nightengale of USA Today.
“There is no offer,” Skubal said, “and there won't be an offer until the end of the season. My focus is on playing baseball and winning this year. I’ll deal with the contract stuff at the end of the year, and then we'll kind of see. And that’s fine. It’s their decision.”
Skubal landed the largest arbitration contract in MLB history at $32 million in 2026. But beyond that, pitcher and franchise hasn't had much discussion. Pushing long-term contract talks will allow Skubal and the Tigers to focus solely on baseball. However, it gives Detroit much less time in terms of coming to a long-term solution.
Whoever does end up giving Skubal that long-term deal is getting arguably the best pitcher in baseball. In his second-straight Cy Young season, the left-hander posted a 2.21 ERA and a 241/33 K/BB ratio. A year prior, he won the AL pitching Triple Crown with 18 wins, a 2.39 ERA and a career-high 228 strikeouts compared to 35 walks.
If the Tigers are serious about competing for a World Series, they want Skubal on the roster. However, his contract demands may price him out of Detroit completely. At the very least though, the franchise needs to make an offer to Skubal to see where they stand.
