Tarik Skubal's comment on possible contract extension with Tigers says it all

Emma Lingan

Wild Card Series - Detroit Tigers v Houston Astros - Game 1 / Tim Warner/GettyImages

The Detroit Tigers have 2024 American League Cy Young winner Tarik Skubal locked down for the 2025 season, which is starting to look more and more like it will be the beginning of the end of his time with the club.

If the Tigers want to to have a competitive future, Skubal needs to be a part of it. The two sides agreed on a one-year, $10.15 million contract last week to avoid arbitration for 2025, but the AL pitching triple crown winner can become a free agent after the 2026 season. Although he remains under team control for the next two seasons, the question of a contract extension looms large heading into spring training.

Skubal was asked about contract talks with Detroit on Sunday, when he attended a basketball game in East Lansing between Michigan State and Illinois, but his response didn't exactly give Tigers fans the vote of confidence they were looking for.

“I’ll keep that pretty private,” Skubal said via The Associated Press. “But I love playing in Detroit and I’m excited to get down to spring training.”

Well. That answers that. Boras clients almost never sign contract extensions, the Tigers don't spend money, and we'll get no clarity from either party regarding any developments.

What are Tigers' chances of signing Tarik Skubal to contract extension?

There are already a number of factors that don't bode well for a potential extension for Skubal and the Tigers. First, there's the fact that the current front office tends to shy away from handing out large, multi-year contracts. Given recent reports that Skubal has the potential to become the first pitcher in MLB history to receive a $400 million contract when he hits free agency, a future in Detroit seems highly unlikely.

There's also the fact that the Tigers have already tried (sort of) to extend Skubal and failed. Their offer reportedly wasn't competitive, and if they thought they had a prayer at landing Skubal on their own terms, then that's an even bigger problem.

Tigers pitchers and catchers are set to report to spring training Feb. 12 in Lakeland, Fla. Don't expect them to be any closer to extending Skubal by then – or anytime in the near future, for that matter. Just be sure to enjoy these next two years while ignoring any resulting drama.

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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.