Tigers reach $10.1 million agreement with ace pitcher Tarik Skubal to avoid arbitration

The Detroit Tigers agreed to pay Tarik Skubal $10.1 million in salary for the 2025 season and avoided arbitration hearing.

Tigers reach $10.1 million agreement with ace pitcher Tarik Skubal to avoid arbitration

Tarik Skubal (Image via X)

Ahead of Thursday’s deadline to exchange salary numbers for potential hearing, the Detroit Tigers have reached an agreement with ace pitcher Tarik Skubal. The two parties have agreed on a one-year $10.1 million deal.

Skubal, the reigning American League Cy Young Award winner, was among the top names who secured a big eight-figure bag. Had he and the Tigers not reached this agreement, an arbitration hearing would have taken place.

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As per reports from MLB.com, Skubal will make $10.15 million in his second year of arbitration. This marks a huge increase in his salary.

In the 2024 season, Skubal had a salary of $2.4 million. However, his strong performances throughout the year earned a $7.5 million increase in salary. He will have another try for arbitration after the 2025 season. Unless the team signs him to a long-term extension, he will become a free agent after the 2026 season.

During the 2024 campaign, Skubal become the ace pitcher of the Tigers. He went 18-4 in the regular season and pitched with an ERA of 2.39. He also picked up 228 strikeouts. His record, ERA and strikeouts where the best among any other American League pitcher. This earned him the Triple Crown title.

In November, Skubal became the fifth Tigers’ star to win the AL Cy Young Award. Another interesting fact was that he was an unanimous winner, meaning he amazed all 30 first place vote to take home this prestigious honor.

Who are the other Tigers players to avoid arbitration like Tarik Skubal?

Apart from ace pitcher Tarik Skubal, there were six other players with whom salary numbers were exchanged. The Detroit Tigers have successful avoided a hearing with all six of these players and have found an agreement with them.

Tarik Skubal
Tarik Skubal received a hefty $7.5 million increase in salary (Image via X)

Casey Mize, Jake Rogers, Will Vest, Jason Foley, Matt Vierling and Beau Brieske all agreed to one-year contracts for the 2026 season. Before that, the team had already avoided this hearing by agreeing to deals with Zach McKinstry and infielder Andy Ibanez in November.

The deal of Rogers is worth $2.64 million, whereas Mize will make $2.34 million in 2025. The team had previously declined the $3.1 million club option for Mize in November.

Apart from that the Tigers settled with Vest at $1.4 million, Foley at $3.15 million, Vierling at $3.005 million and Brieske at $1.025 million. This means that the Tigers will have no hearings regarding arbitration this year.