Detroit Tigers Pursuit of New Contract For Cy Young Star Just Got Complicated
The Detroit Tigers are trying to figure out this offseason how to add to their roster and take the next step towards legitimate contention after their postseason run this season.
Sitting 9.5 games out in late August, Detroit rallied for one of the best months of baseball in franchise history and eliminated Houston in the Wild Card round before things came to an end in a decisive fifth ALDS game against Cleveland. Despite the sting of being eliminated by a division rival sitting just one game away from playing in the franchise's first ALCS in a decade, Scott Harris and company should be encouraged that their rebuild has worked and the team is ready to win now with a little bit of help.
But on top of any potential outside additions this winter for success next season, at the top of the team's list of priorities should be extending the biggest reason for any accomplishments the team had this season in superstar ace Tarik Skubal. Skubal was unanimously named the American League Cy Young after his purely dominant campaign, becoming just the 21st player in the history of baseball to accomplish that feat.
Under team control for the next two seasons, the Tigers have a wonderful opportunity right now to extend the best pitcher in baseball before big market teams can come anywhere near him. According to latest reports, Detroit has tried this offseason to get a deal done, but has not come up with anything that Skubal would legitimately consider signing. After all, he just turned 28 years old and is coming off a historic triple-crown unanimous Cy Young season.
Potentially adding some complication is the deal Blake Snell just secured with the World Series champion Los Angeles Dodgers. The two-time Cy Young winner inked a five-year, $182 million deal with the defending champs, good for a staggering AAV of $36.4 million. While Snell is among the best pitchers in the league, he is about to turn 32 and has a concerning injury history coupled with the fact that he doesn't throw a lot of innings even when he's healthy.
Four years younger and arguably coming off a better season than any year Snell has ever had, Skubal has a case to ask for significantly more than Snell received. If Skubal hypothetically played out the remaining two seasons in Detroit and performed like he did in 2024, he would be due for a contract which would shatter records in terms of deals handed to a pitcher.
While even now any extension would creep well over the $200 million mark, the Tigers would be locking up their homegrown hurler for the prime of his career and ensuring they would have a chance to compete for years to come.
Ownership cannot afford to be cheap here. If Skubal hits free agency, the numbers thrown around are going to make Detroit's head spin and their superstar will be pitching elsewhere.
The team needs to simply give Skubal whatever he wants and figure it out from there. If they're serious about winning, he's still going to come cheaper now than he will two years from now.
