Tarik Skubal's unanimous Cy Young win sends clear message to Tigers (and Cleveland)

Plenty of the Detroit Tigers' magical 2024 season was surprising, but one thing shouldn't be: Tarik Skubal is the winner of the American League Cy Young Award.

On his 28th birthday, Skubal became the first Tigers pitcher to win the award since Max Scherzer in 2013. The southpaw absolutely demolished his competition last season, helping to lead the Tigers to their first playoff appearance since 2014 and winning the pitching triple crown by topping the AL in wins (18), ERA (2.39) and strikeouts (228).

But even that doesn't seem to do justice for what Skubal did for the Tigers in 2024. When Detroit appeared to be waving the white flag at the trade deadline, selling off Jack Flaherty and a number of other key veterans, Skubal was instrumental in pulling the team out of the trenches and into a Wild Card berth.

Skubal essentially was the Tigers' starting rotation in 2024, as the club was forced to rely primarily on openers and bulk relievers in its pitching strategy. The only reason the bullpen approach worked as well as it did for the Tigers was because Skubal was able to take the mound every five or six days and give their relief arms a much-needed break. He lasted at least six innings in 21 of his 31 starts and earned some critical wins during Detroit's second-half surge.

With all due respect to his fellow finalists, Cleveland Guardians reliever Emmanuel Clase and Kansas City Royals veteran Seth Lugo, no AL pitcher did as much as Skubal to earn the 2024 AL Cy Young Award. It was always his to lose, whether delusional Guardians fans think so or not. Voters certainly agreed as Skubal's win was rightly unanimous.

AL Cy Young: Tarik Skubal takes home award for Detroit Tigers

The Tigers have Skubal under team control for two more seasons before he is set to become a free agent, but his Cy Young Award-winning 2024 campaign should nudge Detroit to sign him to a long-term contract extension sooner rather than later.

The Tigers have plenty of work to do this offseason if they want to build upon last season's success with a deeper playoff run in the near future. They obviously need to shore up their starting rotation, and another right-handed bat wouldn't hurt; but extending their 2024 AL Cy Young Award winner should be priority number one.

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