What A.J. Hinch Said to Tigers Ace Tarik Skubal After Arbitration Decision
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After Tarik Skubal won his arbitration case and set a new standard for an arbitration salary, one of his first calls was from Detroit Tigers manager A.J. Hinch.
The two-time Cy Young winning pitcher will be with the Tigers one more season. He’ll have a new rotation mate in Framber Valdez, who agreed to a three-year deal with Detroit just after the hearing ended. Now, it’s time to get to work.
As Hinch told Foul Territory on Friday, Skubal is ready to go.
“The thing I talked to Tarik about after the hearing was, ‘Are you ready to go win the (American League) Central and try to win the World Series,” and he was, you know, in a few exclamation marks, was ready.”
Safe to say those exclamation points came with some expletives, knowing Skubal.
Tarik Skubal Entering 2026
AJ Hinch to Tarik Skubal after his arbitration hearing ended...
— Foul Territory (@FoulTerritoryTV) February 6, 2026
"You ready to go win the AL Central and try to win the World Series?" 🔥 pic.twitter.com/Bmje8DGWfZ
The left-hander has been brilliant the past two seasons. In 2024 he went 18-4 with a 2.39 ERA and 228 strikeouts as he won the American League pitching triple crown. That helped him win his first Cy Young and finish seventh in AL MVP voting.
Last year his won-loss record wasn’t quite as good, as he went 13-6. But he bettered his 2024 season other respects, including a 2.21 ERA and 241 strikeouts. He won his second Cy Young and finished fifth in AL MVP voting.
He became the 12th pitcher in Major League history to win back-to-back Cy Young awards and the second Tigers player to do it. Denny McLain won the award in 1968 and 1969.
Skubal is seeking a three-peat, something that only two other pitchers have done, and each won four straight Cy Youngs. Greg Maddux did it from 1992-95 and Randy Johnson did it from 1999-2002.
Hinch now sees his job same as always with Skubal — to push him to be the best possible pitcher he can be, especially in a ramp-up that will include him leaving spring training for a couple of weeks for the World Baseball Classic.
“My job as the manager is to continue to push him and continue to build an environment that has helped him at the very least thrive in being Tarik Skubal and being the dominant pitcher that he is,” Hinch said. “So, we get right to work.”
Skubal can be a free agent after the season and, barring the Tigers falling off a cliff, Detroit seems all in on letting it ride with Skubal as they try to get to the World Series for the first time in more than a decade.
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Matthew Postins is an award-winning sports journalist who covers Major League Baseball for OnSI. He also covers the Big 12 Conference for Heartland College Sports.
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