Tigers Ace Tarik Skubal Posts Short One Word Note After Arbitration Disrespect

The Detroit Tigers have angered their ace.

Detroit Tigers pitcher Tarik Skubal (29) walks into the dugout before the game against the Kansas City Royals at Comerica Park in Detroit on Friday, August 22, 2025. | Junfu Han / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The Detroit Tigers entered the offseason with a major elephant in the room with regards to their superstar ace pitcher coming off his second straight American League Cy Young.

Moments after -- and frankly before -- it was announced that Tarik Skubal had become the first AL pitcher in more than two decades to go back-to-back on baseball's most prestigious award for an arm, the trade talk had already begun.

With just one year left of team control before he hits free agency and extension talks going absolutely nowhere, it makes sense as to why, and it's led to a tense offseason. That final year of control of course comes with arbitration, and after the two sides did not settle on a number to pay Skubal for the 2026 season, each side filed what they believe to be fair.

The result was Skubal filing at $32 million and the team at $19 million, the largest gap in the history of MLB arbitration. Barring a surprising settlement, it looks like there will be a dramatic hearing sometime in the next few weeks. Despite all the noise though, Skubal showed he is not phased with a post on his Instagram containing a very simple one word caption.

Skubal Sends Clear Message to Tigers Fanbase: 'Business'

Skubal has always been open about his love for the city of Detroit and desire to want to stay with the only big league club he's ever known, however he has also spoke about how this is indeed a business as well, hinting he would not take a huge hometown discount.

Using the caption "Business", it seems once again the ace is sending a clear message perhaps not only to his fans who want him to stay with the team, but also Tigers ownership which has continuously disrespected him during negotiations.

Detroit and Skubal have not reached an extension because the team has not made an offer that's even close to fair, and they kept that same absurd mindset in arbitration.

Now, a hearing in which the team somehow attempts to argue that the best pitcher on the planet is not as valuable as he thinks, the chance exists that permanent damage could be done to the relationship between the two sides.

Where Do Tigers and Skubal Go From Here?

Junfu Han / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Detroit as an organization generally has a policy of not negotiating settlements between the deadline and the hearing, so it seems likely a panel is going to decide whether Skubal is playing for $32 million or $19 million next season.

If he truly is hurt and offended, perhaps trade talks can start to heat up again prior to spring training, and if the salary is $19 million, Skubal somehow becomes even more valuable than before. More likely, he will win the hearing and put the ball back into the Tigers court to set the tone for a record-setting contract next offseason.

As has been the case for months now though, it certainly seems like Skubal is going to be wearing a different uniform a year from now. And if fans in Detroit are upset about that fact, well they only have the Tigers front office and ownership to blame.