Detroit Tigers’ Tarik Skubal and Riley Greene in place in the playoffs
Detroit Tigers pitcher Tarik Skubal (left) and outfielder Riley Greene (right) talk with reporters Friday, Sept. 27, 2024, at Comerica Park.
SAN ANTONIO Detroit Tigers president of baseball operations Scott Harris refuses to discuss a contract extension for the left-hander Tarik Skubalwho will remain under team control for two more years before becoming a free agent after the 2026 season.
Since Harris won’t talk, the next best person to ask about a contract extension is Skubal’s agent. Scott Boras. There is still plenty of time, but right now there doesn’t seem to be any momentum toward a long-term extension.
“You know, really, Scott (Harris) and I will continue to talk about him,” Boras said Wednesday meetings of general managers at the JW Marriott. “Certainly, we will go through the arbitration process and we will, I am sure, discuss the contract.”
Skubal, who turns 28 on Nov. 20, will be eligible for salary arbitration for the next two years before free agency. After that, a 30-year-old Skubal would be free to sign with any team through the 2027 season — unless the Tigers lock him up before then.
He became arbitration eligible in 2024 for his first of three arbitration years, earning $2.65 million. He is expected to make $8 million in 2025, his second year of arbitration. He could make more than $15 million in 2026, his third and final year of arbitration.
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Harris has declined to discuss contract extensions for all players, not just Skubal.
‘I’m not going to comment on individuals’ Harris said Oct. 14after the Tigers were eliminated from the postseason. “You saw what we did with Colt Keith (before his MLB debut). We started private conversations, we came to a deal (six years, $28.6 million guaranteed), and we announced it, and we are very excited about it today, and we think Colt is a big part of our future.”
Meanwhile, Skubal feels comfortable deferring to Boras on the subject of contract renewal.
He’s also keeping all his options on the table.
“I love playing here,” Skubal said on Oct. 23 the New York Post podcast with Jon Heyman and Joel Sherman. “That’s what I’ll say. I love playing here. The coaches, the teammates, the guys we have in the clubhouse, it’s a lot of fun. The fan base, they’ve always been great to me and my family As for the expansion stuff, that’s why I have an agent. I’ll let him handle all that stuff, and no matter how the front office handles it, I can make a decision with the most information I have love playing here.”
Skubal – a former ninth-round pick who has been represented by Boras Corporation since the 2018 draft – led the American League in wins (18), ERA (2.39) and strikeouts (228) in the 2024 season over 192 innings pitched over 31 starts. He’s all but guaranteed to win the AL Cy Young Award.
He recorded a 2.37 ERA with two walks and 20 strikeouts in 19 innings three postseason starts.
His 9.1 fWAR leads MLB pitchers since July 4, 2023.
Contact Evan Petzold at [email protected] or follow him @EvanPetzold.
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