MLB insider further emphasizes Tigers badly botched Tarik Skubal extension talks

One would think that if a team gets handed a homegrown pitcher who carried their rotation on his shoulders for half a season, won a Triple Crown, and then won a unanimous Cy Young award, that team would do everything in their power to lock that pitcher up for the rest of his career. That feels safe to assume, right? Not at all unrealistic?

When that team is as money-conscious (read: cheap) as the Tigers, maybe it is unrealistic.

Just a few weeks ago, The Detroit Free Press' Evan Petzold reported that the Tigers, who have a projected payroll of just $80 million in 2025, had made an extension offer to Tarik Skubal, but it "wasn't competitive" and was quickly shot down.

Jon Heyman, in a new report that also said the Tigers have expressed interest in Alex Bregman in his free agency, reiterated that, "the Tigers made a play to extend Skubal but didn’t come close."

What are we doing here, guys?

New Jon Heyman report confirms Tigers haven't been aggressive about extending Tarik Skubal

After the kind of season Skubal just had, his price tag is at an all-time high and may never be quite this steep again. Right now, some insiders have put Skubal's cost per year as high as $30 million. The last time the Tigers spent big money on a pitcher, they extended Justin Verlander for seven years and $180 million back in 2013.

Skubal/Verlander comparisons have been flowing since Skubal became the first Tigers Triple Crown/Cy Young winner in a single season since Verlander in 2011, so it only stands to reason that Skubal would be looking for Verlander-esque numbers from an extension (probably more, if we take inflation into account).

The Tigers' $80 million projected payroll might be one of the five lowest in baseball next season. Scott Harris already said that the front office will have more money to work with this offseason compared to previous ones. If they're not going to sign major free agents and are still looking to make short-term deals, what do they plan to do with that extra money if not extend the most exciting pitcher the franchise has seen since Verlander?

There's still time. Skubal has two years of team control left. However, if the Tigers are low-balling him now, they run the risk of wearing his patience thin and making the free agent market at the end of 2026 look pretty enticing. If they completely flub talks with Skubal and ultimately lose him, it could easily go down as one of the worst front office gaffes of all time.