Tigers being a 'file and trial' team is a lie based on 2025 Tarik Skubal arbitration

It is easy to be critical of the Detroit Tigers amidst the team's looming arbitration showdown with ace Tarik Skubal. Despite the team's "file-and-trial" reputation, in practice the team did not employ that approach with Skubal last offseason.

In the 2025 offseason, Skubal was projected to earn $8 million according to MLB trade Rumors. The Tigers wound up paying him $10.15 million in order to avoid arbitration. While that figure does not exactly blow $8 million out of the water, it refutes the notion that the Tigers are some penny-pinching team unwilling to pay players anything.

Tigers not as cheap as 'file-and-trial' reputation would have one believe

Sure, the $13 million chasm between the $19 million figure the Tigers submitted and the $32 million number Skubal's camp posted does not look great, but Skubal is seeking the highest arbitration figure for a pitcher in MLB history. It would be a $20 million raise compared to last season.

One cannot blame the guy for asking. He did just win his second consecutive Cy Young Award and is arguably the best pitcher in baseball. Why not go for the big bucks?

Still, the Tigers have to be smart throughout this process. They know as well as the rest of MLB that they are not going to sign Skubal to a long-term extension. The lefty looks poised to earn a contract worth hundreds of millions of dollars and the Tigers are not in a position to commit that kind of money.

That is why trade rumors have floated around Skubal this offseason and why teams like the New York Yankees and Los Angeles Dodgers are reportedly checking in on the ace. The Tigers know they could get a massive haul for him even if the acquiring team acquiring might only have him for one season — or potentially just half a season, if Detroit was to deal him at the deadline.

It is not an easy position for the Tigers to be in because, obviously, they would love to retain him. Who wouldn't want to hold onto a pitcher of that caliber for as long as possible? But financial reality plays a role in this, which is why the Tigers have to play some hard-ball throughout this saga.

But to tar them as a "file-and-trial" team is a bit of an exaggeration when one considers how the Tigers handled Skubal's contract last offseason. Even if the circumstances were different.