Tarik Skubal's Instagram post feels like a shot at Tigers over arbitration process

The Tigers operate as an incredibly tight-lipped organization. Outside of the Great Alex Bregman Debacle of 2025, fans usually don't have much of a clue into what the front office is thinking or doing, which is very much of Scott Harris' design.

Harris might go as far as to say that he will entertain conversations on any player, but beyond that point, everything is just hearsay. He would never operate like former Cardinals president of baseball operations John Mozeliak, for example, who was straightforward about St. Louis' intention to trade Nolan Arenado.

We'll probably never know what's going on behind closed doors, especially when it comes to the biggest issue currently at hand in Detroit: Tarik Skubal's arbitration status, which will surely go down as the Great Tarik Skubal Debacle of 2026.

To be fair, it would uncharacteristic and sort of uncouth of any team or player to spill their guts to the media and go scorched-earth about arbitration negotiations, but the particulars of this Skubal-Tigers situation makes everything that much more dicey.

But Skubal still has avenues to subtweet or shade the people who do not believe he's worth more than 2014 David Price. His latest post on Instagram, a carousel of offseason training and workout photos captioned "Business" definitely feels like shade.

Tarik Skubal's "business" Instagram post is definitely a shot at the Tigers' front office

The statement that Skubal is making with this post is pretty clear: His business is pitching, and he does it very well. Give him $32 million.

The Tigers and Skubal are both said to be entrenched in their positions, making a settlement ahead of an arbitration hearing almost impossible. In February, a neutral panel of arbitrators will have to choose one side of the $13 million chasm. It's been complicated by the absence of any willingness to negotiate from Skubal's agent Scott Boras.

But the Tigers must still have reason to believe they'll win this fight. They must have considered the loophole Skubal can use to his advantage — he technically has over five years of service time and can compare himself to all of baseball, rather than just previously arb-eligible players, in his argument in front of the arbitrators — but still have to hope that it won't be enough.

For a team that doesn't like to take risks, that's a big one. And if a lot of Tigers fans had their way, it's not one that would pay off.