Matt Johnson
Detroit Tigers starting pitcher Tarik Skubal is sidelined indefinitely following surgery to remove loose bodies from his elbow. While it’s a major setback for the two-time AL Cy Young Award winner, it seemingly won’t get in the way of a record-setting contract.
ESPN‘s Kiley McDaniel spoke to agents, executives and scouts around the league who projected that Skubal will land a contract worth around $357 million over seven-plus years.
Ordinarily, the surgery Skubal underwent comes with a recovery timeline of two to three months. It would put the All-Star pitcher on track for a return in late July, well after the MLB All-Star Break.
However, per ESPN‘s Buster Olney, there’s “optimism in the Tigers clubhouse” that Skubal would be able to return to the mound in June. In a best-case scenario, some even think the reigning Cy Young Award winner could be part of Detroit’s rotation in early June.
Examining Tarik Skubal’s Future Earning Power
Prior to the 2026 MLB season, Skubal had made 31-plus starts with 190-plus innings pitched in consecutive years. He had demonstrated a track record of being a workhorse starter and he was poised to do that again in 2026 before encountering some soreness in his pitching elbow.
Skubal’s success on the mound warrants becoming the highest-paid pitcher in MLB history. Los Angeles Dodgers starting pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto has the most lucrative contract among pitchers at $325 million over 12 years, while Philadelphia Phillies starter Zack Wheeler boasts the highest average annual salary ($42 million) among pitchers.
Based on the projected contracts for Skubal, he’ll shatter both records. He’ll be the first pitcher in MLB history to have a contract AAV of $50-plus million and the total value of a contract ($350-plus million) will also easily surpass the Yamamoto contract, all the while covering fewer years.
