Why the Tigers are letting Tarik Skubal's arbitration case consume their offseason

The Detroit Tigers could lose Tarik Skubal to free agency after this year, but you wouldn't necessarily know that based on the lack of urgency the team has operated with this winter. Rather than pushing to try and win with Skubal, the most notable moves Detroit has made thus far saw the team re-sign Kyle Finnegan and sign Kenley Jansen. His upcoming arbitration case ultimately has a lot to do with that, as The Athletic's Ken Rosenthal said on the Foul Territory podcast.

If the Tigers win the arbitration case with Skubal, they might go after a starting pitcher. If not, it's less likely.

Tigers have reason to let Tarik Skubal arbitration consume their offseason

This isn't what Tigers fans want to hear, but Detroit is somewhat justified in letting Skubal's arbitration consume their winter. This isn't a small amount of money the two sides are set to argue over. The Tigers believe Skubal is worth $19 million while the back-to-back Cy Young Award winner is asking for a record $32 million. That's a $13 million difference, for those who don't want to do the math.

An arbitration wrinkle worth noting is that the arbiter has to decide to side with the player or the club. This means that barring a last-second agreement to avoid the hearing, Skubal's contract will be $32 million or $19 million with no in-between.

$13 million could be enough to get the Tigers a solid starting pitcher, whether it's Chris Bassitt, Lucas Giolito, or someone else. It's not as if the money at stake here isn't nothing.

Tigers should be acting aggressively even with Skubal's looming hearing

Having said that, the Tigers should be looking to improve their roster no matter what. Even if they have to spend that $13 million on Skubal, how do you not make further additions when he could leave in free agency next winter? I get that $13 million isn't nothing, but the Tigers need to try to win now.

Again, they've focused virtually solely on their bullpen by adding Jansen and Finnegan. The bullpen had to be addressed and should be pretty good in 2026, but the rest of the team still leaves a lot to be desired.

They're projected to have Drew Anderson, a pitcher who hasn't thrown a MLB pitch since 2021, in their Opening Day rotation. Their lineup that saw them score four runs or fewer in six of their eight postseason games in 2025 is essentially the exact same as it was last October, and barring something unforeseen, that'll remain the case after losing out on Eugenio Suarez.

If they don't make serious improvements, why even bother holding onto Skubal?

Tigers continue to show they aren't serious about competing with Tarik Skubal

I hate to say it, but can anyone disagree? Does anyone think the Tigers are doing whatever it takes to capitalize on their window with the best pitcher on the planet? Chris Ilitch, an owner worth roughly $4 billion, won't even approve a Chris Bassitt-type signing until he knows how much Skubal is going to make. Again, a $13 million difference isn't nothing, but the Tigers should be spending the $13 million plus whatever it'll take to get a guy like Bassitt anyway when this could be their final year with Skubal.

It's just hard to see the vision here. I can understand keeping Skubal in a contract year, but how do you justify doing that while not doing much of anything to bolster your World Series odds in 2026? Isn't that why he's being kept?

Trading Skubal would be painful, but it'd ensure Detroit would receive a worthwhile haul while also not risking losing him for nothing. It'd make the Tigers worse in the short term but potentially better off in the long term. I'm all for them keeping him, but their reluctance to spend out of their comfort zone makes keeping him harder to justify.

The Tigers' reluctance to spend with Skubal's salary in the balance makes sense, but it also goes to show why they're probably better off trading him.

More MLB news and analysis: