Following the 2024 season, the Detroit Tigers reportedly made a “noncompetitive” offer to Tarik Skubal. Well, according to a report from Evan Petzold of the Detroit Free Press, we now know that the offer made was not only “noncompetitive”, it was insulting.
According to sources of Petzold, Detroit offered Skubal a four-year deal worth less than $100 million following the 2024 season. The proposal would have covered his final two arbitration years and just two of his free-agent years, meaning he would have hit the open market after the 2028 season. That’s right, folks, the Tigers offered the reigning Cy Young winner less than $25 million per season!
Not surprisingly, Skubal said no.
And he was right to.
A $250 Million Gap
Fast forward to this week, and that “noncompetitive” offer resurfaced thanks to a report from Jon Heyman of the New York Post, who revealed that Skubal and the Tigers are now a whopping $250 million apart in negotiations.
Many estimate that Skubal, the best left-handed pitcher in baseball, could command at least $400 million in free agency after the 2026 season. That puts Detroit’s earlier offer in laughable territory, essentially one-fourth of what the reigning AL Cy Young finalist is expected to be worth on the open market.
For a front office that preaches “building around pitching,” this latest revelation feels like a slap in the face to fans who’ve watched Skubal develop into one of the league’s most dominant arms.
What This Says About the Tigers
The message this sends isn’t a great one. If the Tigers were serious about keeping Skubal as the face of their franchise, a four-year deal under $100 million isn’t how you show it. It’s the kind of offer you make when you want to say you “tried,” not when you actually want to lock down your ace.
This also reignites the question: Will the Tigers trade Tarik Skubal this offseason? Team president Scott Harris has remained coy, but if negotiations are truly this far apart, Detroit could be forced into a decision sooner rather than later.
Letting Skubal walk, or trading him for prospects, would send a clear signal that the Tigers are still stuck in rebuild mode, even after years of promising that better days are ahead.
