Tigers Executive Provides Candid Answer About Tarik Skubal Extension Talks

Detroit Tigers ace Tarik Skubal had been showing signs of dominance heading into the 2024 season; the only thing that was holding him back was his health.

In 2022 and 2023, he performed at a high level but made only 36 starts in the two years combined. When he was finally able to stay on the field in 2024, everything came together for a true breakout campaign.

Skubal was the unanimous American League Cy Young Award winner, completing the pitching Triple Crown with 18 wins, 228 strikeouts and a 2.39 ERA.

The victories and strikeouts both led all of baseball, along with his 6.4 WAR.

is ERA, .818 winning percentage, 168 ERA+ and 2.49 FIP all paced the AL.

Through his first nine starts of the 2025 campaign, he has showcased even nastier stuff, with his changeup being one of the best offerings in the sport.

It has helped him to a 4-2 record with 71 strikeouts, a 2.67 ERA and 1.6 WAR through his first 54 innings. The strikeout total and 11.9 SO/9 are both the best in the AL.

As long as he can stay healthy, Skubal is going to be in the mix again for a second consecutive AL Cy Young Award.

Having a pitcher of that caliber anchoring their rotation is an advantage for the Tigers. It helped make the “pitching chaos” strategy manager A.J. Hinch deployed last year possible, knowing they had a dominant star taking the mound every fifth day.

This season, Skubal is no longer a one-man show with Casey Mize, Jack Flaherty, Reese Olson, Jackson Jobe and Keider Montero all performing admirably behind him.

With his status as a bona fide ace cemented, the next order of business for Detroit will be ensuing they lock him in long-term.

Will Tarik Skubal Sign an Extension With the Detroit Tigers?

Set to be a free agent after the 2026 season, it would not be a surprise if the Tigers are looking to get an extension done before he hits the open market.

Alas, it takes two to tango.

While the team would love to get something done, that feeling doesn’t sound like it is reciprocated.

"We can't just decide we're going to sign him. It takes two parties and some understanding of the parameters of a deal, and it takes a willingness on both sides to do it,” Detroit’s president of baseball operations, Scott Harris, said to MLB insider Joel Sherman, via Evan Petzold of the Detroit Free Press.

With his price tag soaring after each dominant start, the Tigers are going to have to come with an offer Skubal and his representatives cannot refuse to keep him from hitting free agency in search of the largest contract possible.

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