Tigers All-Star's salary was unfortunate casualty of upcoming Tarik Skubal deal

The Tigers came into arbitration deadline day with $44.7 million projected to be added to their payroll after they'd settled up with eight players they had yet to come to an agreement with (Matt Vierling, Jake Rogers, and Beau Brieske already settled earlier in the offseason).

Tarik Skubal is expected to blow not only every other Tigers player but every other arb-eligible player out of the water, but Detroit still had a few heavy hitters to come to the table with: Riley Greene, Spencer Torkelson, Kerry Carpenter, Zach McKinstry, and Will Vest, among them.

Skubal's figure could be record-breaking (anywhere between $17 million and $22 million feels right), and the Tigers had to find any opportunity to cut a few corners and add a couple more bucks to Skubal's treasure trove.

Torkelson got $4.075 million, a little over $1 million less than MLB Trade Rumors (usually pretty on-the-dot with these figures) predicted, but Greene got around $5 million, $1.6 million less than MLBTR thought.

It's only Greene's first year of arbitration eligibility, but a lot less money than expected for the Tigers' first 35+ homer, 110+ RBI hitter since 2013 Miguel Cabrera can really only foreshadow a mammoth number coming for Skubal.

Tigers, Riley Greene agree to $5 million in 2026 to avoid arbitration, setting the stage for a huge Tarik Skubal figure

Framber Valdez currently holds the record for the highest-paid pitcher in arbitration in the last decade; the Astros gave him $18 million ahead of the 2025 season. Although most Skubal predictions have been lower (MLBTR says $17.8), they feel like lowballs for a two-time Cy Young winner who the Tigers are hopefully still trying to extend, and therefore stay in the good graces of. Valdez had a very good 2024 season to warrant that kind of payday in his last year before free agency (176 1/3 innings pitched, 2.91 ERA, MVP and Cy Young votes), but that's nothing to Skubal's 2025.

The only thing the Tigers absolutely cannot do is go to arbitration hearings with Skubal over any amount of money. There's already little reason to believe Detroit can or will cough up the money needed to extend him, but they should treat him right while they still have him.

Greene has two more years to hit even more homers, cut down his strikeout rate, and see his arb-avoiding numbers skyrocket. For now, the Tigers should be saving every penny for Skubal, if only to keep him happy while he's still here.