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Detroit Tigers ace Tarik Skubal made MLB history Thursday when he reportedly won his arbitration case that will pay him $32 million this season on his team’s proposed $19 million salary.
Skubal, who won his second consecutive American League Cy Young Award in 2025, had a three-person salary arbitration panel rule in his favor, ESPN reported.
Skubal’s victory marks a new salary record awarded to a player in the arbitration system for $1 million. The New York Yankees avoided arbitration with Juan Soto in January 2024, giving him a $31 million contract for that year.
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Detroit Tigers starting pitcher Tarik Skubal (29) reacts after allowing a hit against the Minnesota Twins in the fourth inning at Target Field in Minneapolis, Minnesota, on August 14, 2025. (Jesse Johnson/Image Images)
Skubal had a unique position in arbitration with more than five years of service, while also being able to use the “special achievement” clause, which influences the Cy Young Award. It allowed Skubal to not only compare his proposed salary to those who have faced arbitration, but also to the rest of the league.
As a result, Skubal could target pitchers like Zack Wheeler ($42 million), Jacob deGrom ($38 million) and Gerrit Cole ($36 million) heading into 2026.
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The Tigers’ previous high was $19.75 million paid to David Price, another talented left-handed starter in the organization, to avoid a hearing in 2015. This depended on the panel’s decisions, but ultimately, Skubal remains a Tigers pitcher heading into 2026.
Detroit Tigers pitcher Tarik Skubal high-fives his teammates in the dugout after a pitching change during the seventh inning at Comerica Park in Detroit on Wednesday, May 14, 2025. (Junfu Han/USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images)
As for his future, Skubal will be a free agent at the end of the 2026 season, although a lot can happen between then. This arbitration victory does not solidify that he will spend the entire season in Detroit, especially considering the trade rumors that have circulated around the organization.
However, the Tigers bolstered their chances of repeating as AL Central champions by acquiring veteran left-handed starter Framer Valdez via free agency. They signed a three-year, $115 million contract with Valdez on Wednesday, hours before the panel’s decision on Skubal.
Now, Detroit enters the season as one of the best one-two punches in a starting rotation in the MLB.
Detroit Tigers pitcher Tarik Skubal (29) pitches in the first inning against the Chicago White Sox at Comerica Park in Detroit, Michigan on September 6, 2025. (Rick Osentoski/Image Images)
After a fantastic 2024 campaign that ended with some much-deserved hardware, Skubal followed up with an American League-leading 2.21 ERA in 195.1 innings over 31 starts. He also struck out 241 batters, 13 more than his league-leading mark the year before.
