Tarik Skubal is making waves this spring training, showing everyone why he’s one of the most exciting pitchers in the league. With just three starts under his belt, the 2024 Triple Crown and Cy Young winner is already delivering performances reminiscent of his top-tier form.
Yes, it’s spring training and numbers here often get inflated or deflated by various factors, but Skubal’s poise and precision don’t lie. His first two appearances were a blend of two-hit, no-run baseball spread over five innings with four punchouts.
Sure, he had a bit of a wobble in his latest outing against the Phillies, where he gave up four hits, including a homer, across 3 1/3 innings. Yet, he managed to keep the strikeouts coming, adding four more to his tally, and maintaining an impressive spring ERA of 2.16.
With more starts on the horizon, he’s clearly set the stage for another stellar season.
The chatter about Skubal is not just limited to the diamond but extends to contract negotiations as well. Following his 2024 breakout campaign, the pressing question has been how, or even if, the Tigers would manage to extend his contract.
Discussions began in the offseason, and while they avoided arbitration by settling at $10.15 million for this year, they haven’t sealed a long-term deal. Skubal remains property of the Tigers until the end of the 2026 season, and securing his future will likely be a challenging negotiation.
There’s buzz that a proposed seven-year, $200 million contract could be what it takes to keep Skubal in Detroit. This figure echoes the high-profile contract sought by Alex Bregman in his free agency pursuit, where the Tigers came close with an offer of six years at $171.5 million.
Naturally, comparisons between position players and pitchers can be tricky—different animals entirely. But with Skubal’s youth and potential to be a cornerstone of the franchise, it’s a direction the Tigers should be seriously considering.
Missing out on Bregman might sting, but redirecting those resources towards securing Skubal could pay dividends.
Throw in the wrinkle that Skubal’s agent, Scott Boras, traditionally steers clients away from team extensions, and it becomes clear why now is the time for the Tigers to make their move if that’s the price. Locking Skubal into such a deal could also send a strong message across the league, as well as to the MLBPA, where Skubal holds a position on the executive subcommittee.
Indeed, Skubal is the most thrilling pitching talent to emerge from the Tigers’ system since the days of Justin Verlander. They’ve navigated murky contract waters before to secure Verlander, so there’s no reason they can’t aim to do the same with Skubal.
The clock’s ticking, Detroit.
