What the Tigers resolve to do with Tarik Skubal looms bigger than any free company this offseason.
Skubal will enter his stroll 12 months in 2026, possible with a second straight AL Cy Younger and arguably as one of the best pitcher on the planet. Detroit faces three paths: Signal the lefty long run, commerce him or play it out.
My colleague, Jon Heyman, reported lately that there was a $250 million chasm between Skubal’s ask and what Detroit would contemplate. Right now final 12 months, no individual in baseball thought the Blue Jays would get to $400 million, a lot much less the $500 million they finally reached settlement upon with Vladimir Guerrero Jr. as he was starting his stroll 12 months.
So if possession needs a participant — and possession was the driving pressure in Toronto extending Guerrero — then all is feasible. At a season wrap-up press convention final week, Tigers president of baseball operations Scott Harris stated, “I’ve no issues about that,” when requested if staff proprietor Chris Ilitch had the payroll wherewithal to retain Skubal long run.
