Detroit Tigers starting pitcher Tarik Skubal has established himself as the best pitcher in baseball, dominating in 2025 a season after winning the American League’s pitching Triple Crown. However, Detroit has been unable to sign him to a contract extension and talks aren’t going well.
Jon Heyman of the New York Post reports that while Detroit has tried to extend Skubal, the two sides are ‘not close’ on a deal with the ace seeking a record-breaking contract.
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- Tarik Skubal contract (Spotrac): $10.15 million salary in 2025, arbitration-eligible in 2026
Among the highest-paid MLB players, the top salary belongs to Philadelphia Phillies starting pitcher Zack Wheeler ($42 million AAV). He is, however, the only full-time starting pitcher making north of $40 million per season, with Jacob deGrom ($37 million AAV) and Blake Snell ($36.4 million AAV) far behind him.
Skubal has certainly earned the right to be the highest-paid player at his position. Entering MLB games today, Detroit’s ace has a 2.42 ERA (first in MLB) with a league-high 320 strikeouts across 260.2 innings pitched since the start of the 2024 season.
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- Tarik Skubal stats (ESPN): 2.49 ERA, 0.84 WHIP, 92-7 K-BB, .203 batting average allowed in 68.2 innings pitched
Even if Detroit is comfortable making Skubal the highest-paid pitcher ever, there’s another issue. The reigning AL Cy Young Award winner is represented by agent Scott Boras, who strongly prefers his players to hit the open market. Skubal is eligible for MLB free agency following the 2026 season.
Salaries are only going up for front-line pitchers and Skubal is demonstrating his phenomenal 2024 campaign wasn’t a fluke. He’ll be 30 years old when he becomes a free agent after 2026, when numerous big-market clubs will be willing to offer him $44-plus million annually on a deal for five-plus seasons. If the Tigers aren’t willing to present Skubal a huge offer that blows past Wheeler’s AAV, an extension seems unlikely.
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