Tigers Ace Tarik Skubal Opens Up About Future Free Agency As Momentous Contract Looms

Skubal is eligible to become a free agent after the 2026 season.

Detroit Tigers pitcher Skubal walks off the field after a pitching change at Comerica Park. / Junfu Han / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Detroit Tigers ace and last season's American League Cy Young Award winner Tarik Skubal is in for a massive payday once he agrees to his looming next contract. He is under team control with the Tigers through the end of the '26 season, unless both parties agree to a long-term extension before then.

He's the dominant arm who helped power Detroit's magical run to the postseason last year as well as the Tigers' league-leading 49–30 record in 2025. There's no question whether Skubal will command a gigantic number in his next contract—potentially the richest deal for a pitcher ever (outside of Shohei Ohtani).

The question is whether that deal will come from Detroit or if Skubal will head elsewhere once he's eligible to become a free agent after the '26 season. The Tigers reportedly already put a "non-competitive" offer in front of Skubal and his camp late last year. Since then, any murmurs of extension talks have been silent, but he opened up about the looming decision Sunday.

“I just don’t think it does any good to come out and say anything about what’s going on,” Skubal said Sunday via Chris McCosky of The Detroit News. “If something changes, I might comment on it. But it doesn’t do any good so I’m going to keep it to myself, to my agent and to the front office.”

We likely won't know what the future holds until it's certain. In the meantime, though, he's focused on the Tigers and continuing their incredible start to the '25 season, which currently has them with an 8.5 game lead in the AL Central. But the business of baseball is unavoidable. He acknowledged that hard truth, but acknowledged he's happy with his current situation.

"It doesn't mean I don't want to be here or that I'm against any extension," he continued via The Detroit News. "It doesn't mean any of that. I just don't want to talk about it. I'm very happy playing here. I like our coaching staff, I like our team. But there is a business side to the game that is much different than the playing side."

Skubal's next deal is on the horizon, which is for him and his agent, Scott Boras, to work out. We'll have to wait and see if he re-ups with the Tigers or heads elsewhere once he can become a free agent.

He's 8–2 this season in 15 starts with a 2.06 ERA and 117 strikeouts—both the fourth-best marks in the MLB.

---

More MLB on Sports Illustrated

feed