4 clear contract extension candidates Tigers should address during arbitration

One of the prime issues that faces teams with budding young cores is what to do once the arbitration process begins. The way things work in MLB, the team has an advantage for the first six years of a player's career, but once arbitration hits, things can start getting a little wonky. That's the point the Detroit Tigers are at now with several key contributors.

While the arbitration process still suppresses a player's value, it doesn't mean that guys can't be in line for big raises. Beyond that, those years go quickly, and can lead to a player hitting free agency in the middle of his prime years, making it difficult to keep him around long-term.

Therefore, it often makes sense to meet key contributors in the middle and dole out extensions once the player in question is in the middle of arbitration. That can be a win-win for both sides. The player gets some stability, knowing exactly what they'll make for the foreseeable future at the cost of delaying free agency by a couple of years.

When it comes to Detroit, four players stand out as guys who fit this bill. Locking this quartet now would provide the Tigers with some control over their finances for the next few years while ensuring key pieces stick around as they look to build a perennial contender.

4 arbitration-eligible players the Tigers need to extend now

Tarik Skubal

Let's start with the elephant in the room. Everything we know about negotiations between Tarik Skubal and the Tigers has some serious Scott Boras slant to it. We don't actually know what the club is thinking or what is really going on behind closed doors.

With that said, we can be pretty sure that with a second consecutive Cy Young award under his belt, whatever the astronomical price tag was before just went up. The other thing we can be sure of is the plainly obvious fact that the Tigers are a better club with Skubal than without.

Detroit doesn't have much leverage here, but with Skubal projected to make $17.8 million in arbitration in 2026, perhaps the prospect of tearing that up in favor of a much higher number and kicking off his big payday a year sooner than if he waits for free agency could get the job done. Whatever the case may be, the Tigers need to pull out all the stops.

Riley Greene

Riley Greene might not be the bona fide superstar Tigers fans would like him to be, but even with his warts, he's a capable Robin to a yet-to-be-determined Batman. Adding to the calculus here is the fact that Greene just turned 25. There's so much more room for him to grow.

Thanks to his youth, he'll be younger than most when he hits free agency, putting him in line for a massive payday. This makes for the classic case of foregoing some cost savings today to save a chunk of change tomorrow, while keeping Greene in the fold for longer than just the three years of control the Tigers have remaining. An extension that buys out two or three free agent years would still keep Greene in line to cash in on the free agent market while giving him some security now, and ensuring that Detroit keeps him for his best years.

Will Vest

If 2025 taught Detroit anything, it's that skimping on the bullpen is a recipe for disaster. The one constant all season was that Will Vest was a rock in a sea of instability, and it's not like this is the first time he's proven his worth to the Tigers.

Vest has posted a 3.01 ERA or better each of the last three seasons, and this year showed that he can handle ninth-inning duty. Relievers are volatile, but recent history has shown us that guys who have built track records of success in high-leverage situations get paid handsomely. Vest might not be looking at Edwin Diaz money when he hits the market in two years, but at the rate he's going he'll be pretty expensive. Locking him up now would show that the Tigers learned from 2025's bullpen debacle.

Kerry Carpenter

Kerry Carpenter has his limitations as a player. The lefty struggles against southpaws and is a questionable defender at best. He's also a potent bat from the left side and a proven playoff performer.

Carpenter hits free agency after 2028 when he'll be 31, so an extension would likely only cover one, maybe two free-agent years. However, the big benefit for Detroit is that power tends to get rewarded in arbitration, and Carpenter is certainly capable of toppling the 30-homer plateau.

Locking him up now will keep a key complementary piece in Detroit, and at a number that will remain manageable for what he is  — a very good player even if he isn't a star.