Ex-MLB MVP Calls Tigers “Trash Organization” After Team Fails to Reach Salary Agreement with Tarik Skubal

There is a $13 million gap between Tarik Skubal and the Detroit Tigers after he asked for a $32 million salary while the team countered at $19 million.

Ex-MLB MVP Calls Tigers “Trash Organization” After Team Fails to Reach Salary Agreement with Tarik Skubal

Tarik Skubal (Image via MLB)

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Last week, the Detroit Tigers failed to reach salary agreement with Tarik Skubal. A former MLB MVP would later take a shot at the team and call them a “trash organization” in a post on social media.

Skubal, the 2-time Cy Young Award winner, is regarded as one of the best pitchers in the game at the moment. After a dominating 2024 season, the southpaw continued to give the opposition batters a hard time from the mound.

In the 2025 season, he went 13-6 and pitched with a 2.21 ERA. He managed to pick up 241 strikeouts in the regular season and received 26 first-place votes in the AL Cy Young Award race.

This saw him earn his second Cy Young Award and become the first pitcher after Jacob DeGrom to repeat as a Cy Young Award winner. DeGrom won this honor back-to-back in 2018 and 2019.

As he enters the final year of his club control, there is a major gap between him and the team. The 29-year-old asked for a $32 million salary. The Tigers countered it with an offer of $19 million.

Last year, he and the team avoided an arbitration hearing while reaching a $10.1 million agreement. This year, there is a $13 million gap, the biggest in salary-arbitration history.

The two parties can avoid an arbitration hearing by coming to a settlement. If they are unable to reach a common ground, they will then go for a hearing. This year, the hearings will take place from January 26 to February 13 in Scottdale, Arizona.

If Skubal wins the arbitration hearing, he will set a record for the largest one-year deal for an arbitration-eligible player. Juan Soto currently holds that record after he settled down for a $31 million deal with the New York Yankees in 2024.

Ahead of this hearing, former Yankees star and 3-time MLB All-Star Josh Donaldson slammed the Tigers. In a post on X, the 2015 American League MVP called them a “trash organization” after they failed to reach a salary agreement with the pitcher.

A little behind but just saw the arbitration news on Skubal. I mean the Detroit Tigers fumble this big time. Skubal wants 32 mill Detroit offers 19 mill. Trash organization.

Josh Donaldson said regarding Tarik Skubal and Detroit Tigers on X

At the moment, the largest one-year deal for an arbitration-eligible pitcher is $19.75 million, which David Price got from the Tigers in 2015. Meanwhile, the largest raise for a pitcher record belongs to Jacob DeGrom, who earned a $9.6 million hike ($7.4 million to $17 million) from the New York Mets in 2019.

Tarik Skubal dropped a one-word post following failed contract negotiations with Tigers

Tarik Skubal and the Detroit Tigers failed to reach an agreement regarding his salary for the 2026 season. Following this development, the ace pitcher dropped a one-word post on his Instagram account.

Tarik Skubal
Tarik Skubal (Image via Fox News)

In the post, the pitcher shared several photos of himself preparing for the upcoming season. He would choose the word “Business” as his caption, leading to some fans wondering if it was perhaps his way of sending a message to the Tigers organization.

Skubal has previously expressed that he wants to stay with the team for a long time. Earlier reports suggested that there was a $250 million gap in negotiations between him and the Tigers over a contract extension.

The pitcher has also seen his name in trade rumors, linking him away from the Tigers. His next contract is expected to be in the region of $400 million. This could make him one of the highest-paid players in the league and break the record for the biggest contract offered to any pitcher in the MLB by total value package.

Only time will tell what happens with his future. Tigers fans would be keeping their fingers crossed and hoping for a positive outcome regarding their ace pitcher.

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