Tigers now know when their Tarik Skubal, free agency fate will be determined

A few arbitration-eligible players who weren't able to come to an agreement with their teams by the November deadline have since settled to avoid a hearing, but everyone knew that wasn't going to happen with Tarik Skubal and the Tigers.

Scott Boras was initially said to be unwilling to negotiate. He refuted that, but Tigers fans should take anything he says with a grain of salt. The Tigers, too, seemed unwilling to move from their position.

Fans have been in limbo for months, wondering when this hearing is actually going to take place. Spring training is two weeks away and the Tigers have interest in a handful of starting pitchers, but they can't (or won't) move on them seriously until they find out if they'll have to pay Skubal $32 million.

At long last, the two sides have a date for a hearing: Wednesday, Feb. 4, per Cody Stavenhagen of The Athletic.

If the Tigers win, as precedent suggests they will, it'll all be business as usual. If Skubal, who has every accolade to barrel right over that precedent, wins, it could blow up the arbitration system as we know it.

Tigers, Tarik Skubal set Wednesday, Feb. 4 date for long-awaited arbitration hearing

Why can't the Tigers pay Skubal $32 million and sign another free agent starter? Your guess is as good as ours. Per FanGraphs, Detroit's projected payroll is sitting at $171 million with an estimated $25.5 million payout for Skubal (they were clearly optimistic that the two sides would settle before an arb hearing).

If Skubal gets his way, their overall spending would increase to $177.5 million, which still leaves a comfortable amount of room to give a pitcher like Lucas Giolito a two-year, $22 million deal that wouldn't have them breaking the $200 million threshold. But even that is too much to ask of the Tigers.

Insiders have largely been on Skubal's side throughout this saga — not only re: his initial ask of $32 million, but the likelihood that he wins the hearing. Years of precedent might cease to matter if Skubal and Boras widen the scope (which they will) and compare him to, say, Max Scherzer at his peak.

No matter which side you've picked, every Tigers fan just wants to get an answer that will finally get us over this three-month hump that has completely stifled Detroit's offseason. Wednesday couldn't come fast enough.