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Tigers ace Tarik Skubal wins arbitration case

Originally posted on Larry Brown Sports
By Matt Wadleigh | Last updated Feb 5, 2026 2:56 PM ET

Detroit Tigers ace Tarik Skubal will get paid a handsome amount for the 2026 MLB season.

Skubal filed for arbitration after the two sides couldn’t agree to a deal, and the Tigers pitcher requested a $32 million salary in 2026. On Thursday, the verdict came in that Skubal won his arbitration case and will get paid $32 million in a historic move, according to ESPN’s Jeff Passan.

BREAKING: Two-time reigning American League Cy Young winner Tarik Skubal won his arbitration case and will make $32 million this year, sources tell ESPN. Skubal’s bet to go for the largest salary ever in the arbitration system paid off, as he’ll make $13M more than Tigers argued.
— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) February 5, 2026

The arbitration win for Skubal and the $32 million salary shattered the previous high, as Passan wrote.

“The victory for Skubal, the two-time reigning American League Cy Young Award winner, not only bests the record salary for a player in the arbitration system by $1 million but shatters the previous high mark of $19.9 million for an award from a panel.”

The Tigers had offered a $19 million for Skubal, making the $13 million spread the largest in the history of the salary-arbitration era.

The Skubal news comes a day after the Tigers stunned everybody by signing former Houston Astros ace Framber Valdez to a three-year deal worth $115 million, giving the Tigers one of the best 1-2 pitching duos in the league.

Skubal won the 2025 American League Cy Young Award after posting a 13-6 record with a 2.21 ERA in 31 starts. Now, he is set to earn a whopping $32 million in 2026.

This article first appeared on Larry Brown Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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