Tarik Skubal suggests he knew exactly what he was doing by challenging Tigers in arbitration

The cascading effects of Tarik Skubal's arbitration victory might've been slightly overexaggerated.

Yes, Skubal won an unprecedented $32 million in his last year of arbitration, breaking records for both pitchers and position players, but he was able to do it because he technically had over five years of service time going into the hearing. It unlocked a little-used clause that allowed him to compare himself against not only other arbitration-eligible pitchers, but any pitcher in their prime. Not every player in their last year of arbitration will be able to do that.

But for the ones who can, especially the superstars like Skubal ... that's going to mean trouble for owners and their payrolls down the line.

There was some speculation that Scott Boras was using Skubal as a way to blow up the arbitration system, which Boras has never been a fan of, or at least use him to expose its flaws. After pitchers and catchers reported to spring training, Skubal all but confirmed that's what the goal of challenging the Tigers was. And that it wasn't just Boras' machinations.

Skubal said of his victory, "That's something my agent takes a lot of pride in, too. Framber [Valdez] said it yesterday: A rising tide lifts all boats. That resonated with me. [...] Mine was more for the players."

Tarik Skubal basically confirms he was all-in on the plan to expose the arbitration system by challenging Tigers

Skubal has sat on the MLB Players Association's executive subcommittee since December 2024, which immediately spelled trouble for the Tigers. Gone was the possibility of signing him to a below-market contract extension or hoping for a hometown discount. Players within MLBPA leadership are supposed to set the market for everyone else; that means driving up costs themselves. A rising tide lifts all boats.

At the end of the day, Skubal is Boras' boss. The infamous agent certainly has his own agenda, but Skubal has his, too. Any suggestion that Skubal was just a mouthpiece or a conduit for his agent was misguided. Skubal knew what his job was as a member of union leadership; he just also happens to be the best pitcher in baseball.

Hope that the Tigers will re-sign or extend Skubal is growing dimmer by the day, and if his stated objective is to lead the charge next offseason and drive up costs, his future contract is going to reach heights that the Tigers could never hope to match.