Tarik Skubal is aiming to reset the arbitration market, not to mention the Tigers’ payroll calculus, in one swing.
The two-time AL Cy Young winner is seeking a staggering $32 million for his 2026 salary ahead of Thursday’s arbitration exchange deadline, while Detroit countered at $19 million, creating a $13 million chasm that instantly becomes the offseason’s most-watched money fight.
If a panel sides with Skubal, the award would obliterate the high-water mark for an arbitration-eligible pitcher, David Price’s $19.75 million in 2015 with the Tigers. It would even eclipse the record $31 million Juan Soto received in arbitration with the New York Yankees in 2024.
There’s still time to settle. Both sides could land on a one-year compromise before hearings run Jan. 26-Feb. 13. A multi-year deal is possible, though with Skubal a free agent after 2026 and positioned to chase a massive deal at that point, he has little reason to cap his upside now.
Last winter, Detroit and Skubal avoided a hearing with a $10.15 million deal for 2025, a tidy solution that looks quaint next to this week’s filings.
The Tigers are among the clubs navigating uncertain local media revenues amid Main Street Sports’ turmoil, and president of baseball operations Scott Harris has already signaled a willingness to entertain trade calls. Moving a franchise ace is a different conversation, of course, but the number Skubal just put on the table will shape every one of those talks.
This showdown could double as a referendum on arbitration itself. Owners tried to scrap the system in the last CBA talks, the union won a $50 million performance-based bonus pool for pre-arbitration standouts and stars like NL Cy Young winner Paul Skenes have already benefited.
Skubal was 13-6 with a 2.21 ERA and 241 strikeouts in 195 1/3 innings last season as he claimed his second Cy Young in a row. For his career, the 29-year-old is 54-37 with a 3.08 ERA and 889 strikeouts across 766 2/3 innings.
–Field Level Media
