The Detroit Tigers' rather disappointing offseason might take a darker turn on Wednesday. That's when start pitcher Tarik Skubal and the Tigers will meet with a three-person arbitration panel in Arizona to determine his financial future, according to The Athletic's Cody Stavenhagen.
The Tigers' ace reportedly wants to get paid $32 million next season. Detroit, on the other hand, is offering him $19 million. That $13 million is — unsurprisingly — the largest gap between both parties in arbitration history.
Given how dominant Skubal has been for manager A.J. Hinch's rotation and the strong market he would face, Tigers fans have turned their backs on the team. Simply put, they want them to get one of the best hurlers in the world on the long-term deal he's clearly earned.
Tarik Skubal's Arbitration Could Hurt Tigers Down the Line
There's a reason why teams rarely go to arbitration with their star players. The process gets quite ugly, often consisting of the organization telling a player he's not worth as much money as he believes he is. That can go from numbers to more personal accusations.
The New York Yankees famously avoid arbitration with their stars, even knowing they will probably end up overpaying. That's because they don't want that type of process to take a toll on the relationship with the player, and rightly so.
Should Skubal get his way, he'd set a new record for the highest arbitration salary, surpassing the $31 million Juan Soto got in 2024. If not, he'd get less than what David Price got in 2015, when he set a new mark for a pitcher with $19.75 million.
It's safe to say that Skubal has been a much more dominant force than Price was at the time. He finished last season with an American League-leading 2.21 ERA, a 0.891 WHIP (an MLB-best), 241 strikeouts (career-high), 33 walks, and a 6.5 WAR. He also tossed his first career shutout, led the league in ERA+ (187), FIP (2.45), strikeout-to-walk ratio (7.3), and walks per nine innings (1.5).
This arbitration process could have a massive ripple effect across the league. It would set a new baseline and ceiling for other arbitration-eligible players to make financial demands. Skubal should earn more than the $19 million the Tigers filed for, and while he may not make the $32 million his agent is asking, he will probably be looking at more than $25 million a year.
The Tigers could've put this story to bed long ago. More than that, they could've just traded him for the ultimate king's ransom if they truly didn't feel like he was worth as much money as he's asking to be paid now.