Scott Boras hints at Tigers discussing possible Tarik Skubal contract extension

Emma Lingan

Chicago White Sox v Detroit Tigers / Mark Cunningham/GettyImages

The Detroit Tigers made their commitment to staff ace Tarik Skubal when they decided to hold onto him instead of dealing him to the highest bidder at the 2024 MLB trade deadline. Now, it's their turn to be the high bidders and make their best offer to keep the American League Cy Young Award favorite in Detroit for the long haul.

Tigers president of baseball operations Scott Harris has been tight-lipped about a potential contract extension for Skubal up to this point. The left-hander is still arbitration-eligible for the next two seasons before he is set to become a free agent, so there isn't a huge sense of urgency to get a deal done immediately. But as the Tigers look to build on their successful 2024 season to be competitive for years to come, Skubal is almost certainly a key piece of their future.

After winning the AL pitching Triple Crown with 18 wins, a 2.39 ERA and 228 strikeouts, plus an AL-best 2.50 FIP, Skubal is definitely due for a raise. Could he be the first homegrown Tigers pitcher to be signed to a long-term extension since Justin Verlander?

Tarik Skubal's agent hints at Tigers discussing possible contract extension this offseason

At the MLB general manager meetings this week, Skubal's agent, Scott Boras, was less reluctant to speak to the media about the possibility of a long-term extension for his client.

"You know, really, Scott (Harris) and I are going to continue to talk about him," Boras said Wednesday (via Evan Petzold of the Detroit Free Press). "Certainly, we'll go through the arbitration process, and we'll be, I'm sure, discussing contract."

Skubal was arbitration-eligible for the first time in 2024, earning $2.65 million this past season. According to MLB Trade Rumors, he is projected to earn $8 million in 2025, his second year of arbitration, and he could earn more than $15 million in his third and final year in 2026.

So, while it doesn't sound like anything is imminent in terms of a long-term extension for Skubal, there's still plenty of time for those talks to play out. The Tigers won't want to wait too long, though – the closer a player gets to free agency, the easier it gets to wait it out and maximize their value on the open market.

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Emma Lingan

Emma Lingan is an MLB Staff Writer for FanSided primarily covering the Pittsburgh Pirates. She has been covering baseball for more than a decade dating back to her time as a student at Wake Forest University, and she has won two gold medals as a member of the U.S. National Team delegation (2016 Pan-American Championships & 2017 World Baseball Classic). A native of Washington, D.C. and current resident of Nashville, Tenn., she is also entering her seventh season as a credentialed NHL media member and currently covers the NHL’s Nashville Predators for The Hockey News. When she's not watching hockey, baseball or football, she enjoys podcasting, reading, going to the gym, consuming large amounts of coffee and taking long walks with her dog, Minkah. You can follow her @Emma_lingan on Twitter and Instagram.