Tigers have no choice but to do right by Tarik Skubal ahead of arbitration deadline

The Detroit Tigers can posture all they want about precedent, file-and-trial discipline, and the sanctity of the arbitration system. But as the 1 PM EST arbitration deadline ticks closer, the reality is simple.

The Tigers have no real choice here. They need to do right by Tarik Skubal.

Not because it’s warm and fuzzy. Not because it’s sentimental. But because everything about Skubal’s situation screams for a solution that avoids a hearing — and because failing to do so would be penny-wise, pound-foolish behavior from a franchise that cannot afford another self-inflicted credibility wound.

Skubal is not a normal arbitration case. He’s the two-time reigning American League Cy Young Award winner. He’s the best pitcher on the planet right now. He’s entering his final year of arbitration with nothing left to prove and nothing dragging down his résumé. And unlike most players who pass through this system, Skubal has leverage — real leverage, both on paper and politically.

Arbitration is built on comparables, but it allows elite players to push the boundaries. Skubal checks every box that makes that possible: recency, dominance, awards, durability, and “special accomplishments.” If he wants to test the outer limits of the system, he can. And the Tigers should be very aware that this is not the kind of player you want to drag into a room and argue against for an hour.

Because here’s the part Detroit cannot ignore: even if Skubal loses at a hearing, the Tigers still lose. They lose goodwill. They lose leverage for any future extension talks. They lose standing with a player who will hit free agency in a year and is already positioned to reset the pitching market.

This isn’t some mid-rotation arm trying to squeeze out an extra million. This is a foundational ace whose next contract could approach $400 million. You don’t nickel-and-dime that player in his final year under team control — especially not when you’re probably not extending him anyway.

The Tigers love to call themselves a file-and-trial organization, and that approach works when the player is fungible. Skubal is not. He is singular. Treating him like a spreadsheet entry instead of a once-in-a-generation asset would be a profound misread of the moment.

And the moment matters.

Tigers cannot afford to nickel-and-dime Tarik Skubal in final year of arbitration

Skubal isn’t just a superstar; he’s also on the MLBPA’s eight-man executive subcommittee, alongside accomplished veterans and fellow ace Paul Skenes. With the collective bargaining agreement expiring Dec. 1 and arbitration reform looming as a major issue, this case carries symbolic weight far beyond Detroit. A public fight here isn’t just awkward — it’s unnecessary exposure.

The Tigers don’t need to blow up the system. They don’t need to hand Skubal $40 million. What they do need to do is acknowledge reality: Skubal is going to shatter arbitration records regardless. Whether that number is $20 million, $25 million, or something even higher, Detroit should be proactive rather than reactive.

Settle. Pay him like the best pitcher in baseball. Avoid the hearing. Show basic institutional competence. Because if you’re not extending Skubal — and everything suggests you aren’t — then the least you can do is make his final arbitration year respectful, clean, and drama-free. That’s not charity; that’s asset management.

History tells us how this usually ends. The biggest arbitration cases almost always settle. The market moves quietly. Everyone reports to spring training and pretends it was never tense. The Tigers should want that outcome as badly as Skubal does. But this isn’t really about the dollar figure. It’s about signaling.

Paying Skubal properly tells players, agents, and the rest of the league that Detroit understands elite talent when it has it. That it knows when precedent matters — and when a player transcends it. That it won’t hide behind process when discretion is clearly warranted.

Skubal isn’t a system problem for the Tigers. He’s their responsibility. And with the deadline looming, doing right by him isn’t optional — it’s the only move that makes sense.