Tigers should never forgive MLB's arbitration system for historic Tarik Skubal ruling after injury

The Detroit Tigers are going to be without Tarik Skubal for the next few months after he undergoes elbow surgery. It’s a huge blow to the team, who will be without their ace on the mound, but it also makes the team’s loss to Skubal in arbitration sting even more.

Probably the biggest offseason storyline for Detroit was its handling of Skubal’s arbitration. The Tigers showed that they were going to double down on their hardball tactics by filing a $19 million figure for the hearing which was laughable compared to the $32 million that Skubal’s camp submitted.

The arbitration panel sided with Skubal, so he is getting paid his money — a record-breaking amount, in fact — this season no matter what.

What a rich irony it is that Skubal will get paid the most money he has ever earned for a season in which he will be lucky to make 20 starts due to his injury. Meanwhile, he made roughly a collective $12.8 million over 2024 and 2025, two seasons in which he was absolutely dominant and won the American League Cy Young Award both seasons.

It’s an absolute shame that he will probably be robbed of a chance to win his third consecutive AL Cy Young Award due to this injury but the Tigers also have to feel like they got robbed as well.

Tarik Skubal's arbitration win still haunts Tigers after brutal injury news

Of course, one could argue that this is the baseball gods evening things out a bit since the Tigers got one of the best pitchers in baseball for a mere pittance the last two seasons. A cynic could also look at it as karma for the Tigers being cheap with Skubal and trying to pay him as little as they could get away with.

But for a Tigers team that was looking to compete and go all-in this season, this is a bitter blow that hurts all the more because of how much money they are on the hook for.

At least Skubal should be back before the end of the regular season and will likely be available for the playoffs if the Tigers make it that far. If this was a season-ending surgery, then that would really sting — but if Skubal can come back and help lead the Tigers to a miracle World Series run then he will be worth every cent of that $32 million.

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