LAKELAND, FL – This is a special season for Tarik Skubal.
It’s his final season under contract with the Detroit Tigers.
After the reigning two-time American League Cy Young winner took care of his business off the field, his focus has shifted to what happens on the field in 2026.
He is determined to win the World Series.
“I want to win as bad as anybody, and I’m trying to bring a championship to Detroit,” said Skubal, who becomes a free agent in November 2026. “We do that by focusing on winning our division in the regular season, and then we get to the playoffs. That’s what you play the game for, right? The guys in this clubhouse, and the additions we’ve had, I’ve never been more motivated to win a championship here.”
Before spring training, Skubal took the Tigers to an arbitration hearing over a $13 million gap in proposed salaries. The Tigers filed at $19 million, while Skubal filed at $32 million. The two sides couldn’t settle their differences, so a panel of three arbitrators had to choose one of the two salaries, with no compromise in between.
Skubal won the case.
The 29-year-old left-hander is represented by agent Scott Boras, who had about 50 people preparing for this case for more than one year – just in case it went to a hearing.
“I was involved with everything,” Skubal said.
With the win, Skubal unlocked $32 million to become the highest-paid arbitration-eligible player in MLB history – surpassing outfielder Juan Soto’s $31 million in 2024 and left-hander David Price’s $19.75 million in 2015 to set new records for both players and pitchers.
He takes pride in the victory.
“That’s something I’ll never take for granted from my agency,” Skubal said. “It was pretty special when you get to talk in those rooms with the amount of people that are there and the amount of people that have my back. It’s something that I’ll never forget.”
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Just like that, the business is in the books.
Now comes what matters most.
Baseball.
“I’m trying to win, and I want to win bad, and I want to bring a championship to the city of Detroit,” said Skubal, a ninth-round pick by the Tigers in the 2018 draft out of Seattle University. “It’s a special place to me. That’s where my focus is.”
Not only is Skubal the richest arbitration-eligible player in MLB history, but he is also the best pitcher in baseball – becoming the first back-to-back AL Cy Young winner in the 21st century.
Skubal posted a 2.30 ERA with a 4.5% walk rate and 31.2% strikeout rate across 387⅓ innings in 62 starts during the 2024-25 seasons. The Tigers logged a 42-20 record in Skubal’s starts over those two years – compared to a 131-131 record in non-Skubal starts.
He led the AL with a 2.39 ERA in 2024.
He did it again with a 2.21 ERA in 2025.
“The thing I’m looking forward to most is watching him pitch every five days,” said future Hall of Fame right-hander Justin Verlander, who recently signed a one-year, $13 million contract. “His résumé speaks for itself. … If there’s anything I can help with, or if there’s anything he can help me with, guys that are that great, there’s always something to glean from that.”
Skubal is the favorite to win the AL Cy Young Award in 2026.
That would be a three-peat – something only accomplished by Hall of Fame right-hander Greg Maddux and Hall of Fame left-hander Randy Johnson, who both won four in a row in the National League.
“I’m not pitching for accolades,” Skubal said. “I’m pitching to try and win a championship. If that counts as an accolade, being a World Series champion, that’s what I’m pitching for. To be able to do that, I stick to my routine.”
The Tigers haven’t won the World Series since 1984, but a one-year window exists in 2026 before Skubal reaches free agency with industry expectations of a contract worth at least $400 million.
For the Tigers, Skubal represents their best chance at a championship. For Skubal, a championship would be the perfect parting gift to the Tigers before the next chapter of his career.
The ace has a plan.
“What I do between the five or six days, stick to that process, stick to that routine and simplify the game – and that’s getting ahead of guys,” Skubal said. “If I’m constantly on the attack, I don’t think a lot of guys like to be in those counts. For me, simplify the game. You prepare and you do your scouting, and that’s kind of technical, but the game is baseball – so go play the game of baseball. That’s what I pride myself on doing, and that’ll never change.”
Contact Evan Petzold at epetzold@freepress.com or follow him @EvanPetzold.
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This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Tarik Skubal sets goal for last dance with Tigers: Win World Series
Reporting by Evan Petzold, Detroit Free Press / Detroit Free Press
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
