Tigers Boss Provides Update on Tarik Skubal Contract Extension Talks

The Detroit Tigers have the clear-cut best pitcher in baseball right now in Tarik Skubal. The only question is how long Skubal will be in the organization.

The 28-year-old left-handed pitcher will be eligible to test the free agent market after the 2026 season, with that year serving as the final of his arbitration years.

The Tigers have been in this position before, when they paid up in the form of an eight-year, $248 million to superstar Miguel Cabrera after 2012 and 2013 American League MVP award wins.

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Detroit has shied away from such massive deals in the years since, but they are still far from stingy, paying top dollar to secure the services of Javier Baez and Jack Flaherty in recent years.

Skubal is in a far different tier than those two, though, as any deal good enough to convince him to forego free agency would at least have to top the eight-year, $218 million that the New York Yankees gave to Max Fried, the largest in MLB history for a left-handed pitcher.

In an appearance on MLB Network radio, Tigers general manager Jeff Greenberg was asked about the latest on the negotiations between the team and Skubal's camp.

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"Obviously elite talent and elite compete," Greenberg said. "He's constantly looking to get better... in terms of the extension stuff, [Tigers president of baseball operations] Scott [Harris] and I have talked about it since we got here. One of the foundational goals here is to acquire, develop, retain as much elite talent as we can. We're going to keep those conversations behind closed doors."

Greenberg pointed out that the team extended the contract of infielder Colt Keith prior to last season without much fanfare, making the announcement when it was ready to be made.

"These things always take two sides to find common ground on alignment," Greenberg added. "I think in general, it's something we're always going to be open to, but beyond that I don't think it's fair to the players or the organization to really discuss those things out in the open."

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After cruising to the American League Cy Young award this year, Skubal has been even better so far in 2025, dropping his ERA from 2.39 to 2.16 and his WHIP from 0.922 to 0.816.

On the surface, it seems like Skubal would be silly to not consider all of his options on the market, but the formula in Detroit has worked well for him, and the team is set up to compete for the foreseeable future.

If Detroit makes a good-faith offer that is reflective of his immense value, the pitcher and his camp could be convinced to continue on in the Motor City.

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