Tarik Skubal stans are aligned with the most unsavory ally amidst arbitration battle

Tarik Skubal and the Detroit Tigers are at a crossroads. For those who think the lefty ace is justified in wanting $32 million for the 2026 season, they have unlocked an unsavory ally in Jim Bowden of The Athletic.

Bowden, a former executive, is often easy to poke fun at for his somewhat unrealistic trade scenarios, but he certainly thinks that Skubal should get what he is asking for and made sure to take some shots at the Tigers as well.

Jim Bowden is on Tarik Skubal's side in Tigers arbitration battle

Skubal wants to be paid like one of the elite pitchers in the game, and he has a pretty strong case. He is coming off two straight seasons in which he won the Cy Young Award and had the lowest ERA in the American League.

However, the $13 million gap between the number the Tigers submitted and the number Skubal's camp submitted for an arbitration case points to a likely split at some point, either via a trade or when Skubal hits free agency next offseason.

Bowden did not hold back on Detroit, writing, "The Tigers had already embarrassed themselves with their long term-offer to Skubal, which was not even in the ballpark of what he’s looking for, and now they want to alienate him even further by treating him like this?"

It's fair to argue that maybe the Tigers have not handled this situation as well as possible. Most organizations would try to keep a talent like Skubal around for as long as possible, but Detroit may see the writing on the wall and is already conceding that they can't compete with what bigger market teams will be able to offer him.

Heck, after the Los Angeles Dodgers signed Kyle Tucker, it seems like they will probably land every premier free agent on the market until the end of time, so why not just photoshop a picture of Skubal in the dreaded blue and white right now, as LA would be willing to defer money into the year 2100 to land him.

Skubal himself has seemed to shade the Tigers with his recent social media activity, so it seems both sides may be acknowledging a split is somewhat imminent.

Bowden may not be the exact champion Skubal fans want on their side, but he makes good points about the way the team is operating and it is hard to argue that they aren't pushing arguably the game's most talented ace away.