Fans Left Concerned as Reports Suggest $250 Million Gap Between Tarik Skubal and Tigers over Contract Extension: “He’s Gone”

Tarik Skubal will become a free agent after the 2026 season if he does not sign a contract extension with the Detroit Tigers.

Fans Left Concerned as Reports Suggest $250 Million Gap Between Tarik Skubal and Tigers over Contract Extension: “He’s Gone”

Tarik Skubal (Image via X/@MLBNetwork)

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There seems to be some uncertainty regarding the future of Tarik Skubal with the Detroit Tigers. On Thursday, reports emerged that there is a huge $250 million gap between him and the team regarding a contract extension. This has left the fans a bit concerned on social media.

Skubal, the Tigers’ ace pitcher, will enter free agency after the 2026 season if he does not sign a contract extension with the team. If there is no deal between the two parties, the left-handed pitcher could test free agency.

The Tigers obviously do not want that to happen. The team, which has lost some great pitchers in the past, wants to lock down the 2024 American League Cy Young Award winner to a big deal and make him the core player of the franchise.

However, reports suggest that Skubal and the team are far away from reaching a common ground. According to reports from Jon Heyman of the New York Post, there is a gap of over $250 million in negotiations between the two parties.

Previous reports claim that Skubal’s baseline ask was around $400 million. At the moment, Garrett Crochet‘s 6-year, $170 million deal with the Boston Red Sox is the biggest contract extension signed by any pitcher in MLB history.

The biggest contract for a starting pitcher is the $325 million contract signed by Yoshinobu Yamamoto with the Los Angeles Dodgers after the 2023 season. If Skubal’s asking price of $400 million is met, it would become the biggest contract for a starting pitcher.

This latest report regarding Skubal comes after he had another dominating season from the mound. The 28-year-old went 13-6 in his 31 starts with a 2.21 ERA and picked up 241 strikeouts in the regular season.

In the postseason, he was once again unplayable. In the winners-take-all Game 5 of the American League Division Series (ALDS) against the Seattle Mariners, the southpaw picked up 13 strikeouts. Unfortunately, his impressive performance was not enough to see his team over the line as the Mariners walked off the Tigers in the 15th inning of the game.

Fans reacts to reports over massive gap between Tarik Skubal and Detroit Tigers

Following their elimination from the 2025 playoffs, the talks have shifted towards the future of Tarik Skubal for the Detroit Tigers. While there is still time left to sort things out, the team wants to get things down quickly and lock down their ace on a long-term deal.

Tarik Skubal
Tarik Skubal (Image via X/@MLB)

The news of a big gap in negotiations regarding this has left the fans on social media a bit worried. Several Tigers fans took a shot at their own team and called out the management. One user wrote, “He’s gone,” while pointing out the record of the team without him.

Check out that and some other reactions from X below:

Before the start of the year, Skubal and the team reached a $10.1 million agreement and avoided arbitration. He can get another salary rise after this season.

NBA star wants NY Mets to try and sign Tarik Skubal after latest reports

Several MLB teams are keeping their eyes on the Tarik Skubal-Detroit Tigers situation. After the latest reports, an NBA superstar wants the New York Mets to try and sign the ace pitcher.

Tarik Skubal
Tarik Skubal (Image via SB Nation)

Given the amount mentioned, the Mets are a handful of teams that can hand him such a big deal. Last year, the National League side shattered MLB records when they signed Juan Soto on a 15-year, $765 million deal.

While he was excited to see his beloved Mets acquire Soto, the Cleveland Cavaliers star Donovan Mitchell now wants to see his team try and get Skubal. While reposting a tweet regarding the news of Skubal, the 29-year-old dropped two emoticons and tagged the Mets’ official X account.

The addition of Skubal could become a massive deal for the Mets. Owner Steve Cohen wants to build a championship-winning team and wants to see the Mets bring home the World Series. However, only time will tell what will happen to the future of Skubal.

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