Tarik Skubal, Tigers Historically Far Apart in Salary Arbitration for 2026 Season

Detroit and its star pitcher reportedly have two wildly different figures in mind.

Tarik Skubal is the best pitcher in baseball, and he reportedly wants to be paid accordingly. / Junfu Han / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

If the Tigers want to get on pitcher Tarik Skubal’s good side ahead of his contract year, they appear to be starting off on the wrong foot.

Detroit and Skubal are a record amount of money apart in salary-arbitration negotiations for the 2026 season, according to a Thursday evening report from ESPN’s Jeff Passan. Per Passan, Skubal requested $32 million in ‘26 while the Tigers countered with just $19 million.

The gap follows a second straight terrific season for Skubal, the two-time defending American League Cy Young winner. Skubal went 13-6 in 31 starts with a 2.21 ERA and 241 strikeouts in 195 1/3 innings pitched.

Skubal is due to become a free agent after the ‘26 season if not extended, and trade rumors have surrounded him all offseason. The pitcher, for his part, has expressed a desire to remain in Michigan.

“It’s not like I want to be traded, so it’s kind of like, why am I in these conversations?” Skubal told Foul Territory in November. “At the end of the day, it doesn’t really impact what I do day-to-day.”

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