Tigers Ace Tarik Skubal Reveals Surprising Status of Extension Talks with Team
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The Detroit Tigers have had one major narrative looming over this past offseason more than anything else with the status of their repeat American League Cy Young ace Tarik Skubal and his contract.
Entering his final year of team control, Skubal is set to receive a record contract for a pitcher in free agency next year, which led to a winter full of trade rumors, reports of offers between him and Detroit that went nowhere, and everything in between.
For all of the noise surrounding the situation ahead of what may very well be Skubal's final year as a Tiger though, it sounds like the two sides are not even really actively engaged in negotiations.
During an interview with USA Today, Skubal revealed that a contract offer has not even been made by Detroit, and that his focus is on winning right now and doing everything in his power to make that happen.
Tigers Have Not Made Skubal Contract Offer, He Says
"There is no offer," Skubal said. "and there won't be an offer until the end of the season….My focus is on playing baseball and winning this year. I’ll deal with the contract stuff at the end of the year, and then we'll kind of see. And that’s fine. It’s their decision."
Skubal doubled down on the fact that he is not worried about what is happening with his deal and is instead trying to do what Detroit has not done since 1984.
"That’s where my focus is, trying to win a World Series for the city of Detroit, the team that drafted me in 2018," Skubal said. "The Tigers fans are excited, they’re really invested in this club, and so are we. There’s a different energy in camp this year about the guys that we brought in and additions that we've made, and there's a true belief and trying to win a World Series. I think that's awesome."
Tigers and Skubal Leaving Talks Until Offseason
Perhaps it could be read as the team not making Skubal an offer to this point is a sign that they know he is not going to be back, however this offseason has certainly changed the perception of what Detroit is willing to spend to win.
Skubal's eventual contract will be an entirely different animal, however he is the face of the franchise and more importantly the best pitcher on the planet. Whether or not the Tigers are willing to even come to the table with anything close to the kinds of numbers teams will be throwing around remains to be seen.
As he has indicated time and time again though, Skubal would love to spend his career in Detroit, but that does not mean he is going to take a massive hometown discount to do so. The most interesting contract status in the sport right now just took another twist as Skubal focuses on the season ahead.
Everything else in terms of numbers can wait until next winter, hopefully when the Tigers have brought a World Series trophy back to the Motor City already.
Michael Brauner is a 2022 graduate of the University of Alabama with a degree in Sports Media. He covers various MLB teams across the On SI network and you can also find his work on Yellowhammer News covering the Alabama Crimson Tide and Auburn Tigers as well as on the radio producing and co-hosting 'The Opening Kickoff' every weekday morning on 105.5 WNSP FM in Mobile, Alabama.