Detroit.– The stellar lefty Tarik Skubal will receive one of the most significant salary increases in recent salary arbitration history in Major League Baseball, after winning his hearing against the Detroit Tigers, according to a report published this Thursday by Mark Feinsand of MLB.com. The arbitration panel ruled in favor of the pitcher’s proposal, setting his salary at US$32 million for the 2026 season.
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Although the club has not officially confirmed the decision, the ruling makes Skubal one of the highest-paid pitchers in baseball, with the fifth highest base salary among MLB pitchers, according to Spotrac data. The amount also sets a historic record for a pitcher via arbitration, far exceeding any previous figure in this process.
The outcome does not alter the sporting situation of the two-time winner of the American League Cy Young Award, who will remain part of the Detroit roster unless an unexpected change occurs. However, trade rumors have been losing steam during the offseason, while other teams have opted for different alternatives. The difference between both parties was considerable: Skubal presented a proposal of “US$32 million”, while the Tigers offered “US$19 million”. As dictated by the MLB arbitration rules, the panel had to choose one of the two figures without the possibility of an intermediate point, unlike other professional sports.This salary far exceeds the US$19.75 million contract that Detroit agreed to with David Price in 2015 to avoid a hearing, also becoming the highest amount awarded by the franchise in an arbitration case. In the 2025 season, Skubal earned US$10.15 million under a one-year deal.
With more than five years of service in the Major Leagues, Skubal and his agent Scott Boras were able to compare his value to that of any MLB player, not just with other arbitration-eligible players. In that context, contracts of elite pitchers such as Zack Wheeler (US$42 million), Jacob deGrom (US$38 million) and Gerrit Cole (US$36 million) were used as a reference. Detroit hadn’t lost an arbitration hearing since 2000, when the cases of Karim García and C.J. Nitkowski set precedents under the administration of then-general manager Randy Smith. Looking ahead to 2026, Skubal will be the second highest-paid player for the Tigers, only behind the Dominican Framber Valdez, who recently signed a contract for three years and US$115 million, with an average annual value of US$38 million.
