For pretty much the entirety of the Detroit Tigers’ offseason so far, ace Tarik Skubal’s future has been the main talking point. Earlier in the winter, the southpaw was heavily linked with a trade away from Comerica Park. Under only one more year of team control, many felt the Tigers might decide to cash in on Skubal.
Just when it looked like those rumors had subsided, a new issue popped up: Skubal’s arbitration hearing. While the ace filed for a $32 million salary for 2026, the Tigers filed for $19 million. With the two parties locked at an impasse, a third party had to step in to help them find a solution.
Ultimately, Skubal won the hearing on Thursday, and the Tigers are now obligated to make up the extra $13 million gap and pay him the $32 million he filed for.
This victory means that Skubal has now broken the record for an arbitration salary, beating the $31 million Juan Soto was paid in 2024. For pitchers, the former arbitration record belonged to David Price, who was paid $19.75 million in 2015.
Speaking to MLB Network Radio on Sunday, Skubal’s agent, Scott Boras, revealed how he helped his client come out on top.
“Their theory is based upon times eligibility theory, that we argued of course, is not in the collective bargaining agreement. Raises and times eligible are not in the CBA. It’s service-driven, and there are specific histories. We went through the history of the CBA for the arbitrators, and said ‘Why is the CBA the way it is?’ When you’re a five-year player, you have the right to use the salaries of all comparable players,” Boras said.
“That is listed in a separate paragraph in the CBA. We focused on that and said that their theory was based on times eligible. They alleged that Skubal was a third-time eligible player. We pointed out the distinction, however, is that a four-year player is very different than a five-year player. Because a five-year player has the automatic right to use the salaries of all the comparable players,” he added.
Tigers Manager Offers Insight Into Tarik Skubal’s Mindset Heading Into 2026 Season
Featuring on Tuesday’s episode of “Tiger Territory,” Tigers manager A.J. Hinch offered some insight into Tarik Skubal’s mindset heading into the new season, considering all the scrutiny every move of his has been under in the past few months.
“So I just spent a few days with Tarik Skubal in New York. He’s in a really great place. I love how he’s handled the public nature of his offseason and the private nature of his offseason. On the public side, he’s separated business and baseball. He knows I’m a confidant if he wants to talk to me about it. The private side, we’ve got to keep the environment, the hunger, the preparation, and the work, we’ve got to keep pushing him,” Hinch said (24:50).
“My role in this whole year for him is to continue to create an environment he thrives under. What he’s done on the field when he’s competing is second to none. So, for us, we focus entirely on that, and let the business aspect of his situation happen with his people, and support him the best that we can. I know this offseason for him has been as public as anybody’s offseason. There’s nothing he can do that doesn’t get talked about. All these trade comments, and the arbitration, the contract, the free agent year. It could be a distraction if he allowed it. That’s just not how he’s wired,” he added.
Having won back-to-back AL Cy Young awards in 2024 and 2025, Tarik Skubal will be eyeing a historic three-peat in 2026.
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