After his May 9 start, Tarik Skubal looked like the kind of pitcher who could make $400 million in free agency. He took a perfect game against the Rangers into the sixth and struck out 12 batters, a season high so far, by the time he was pulled. Although he followed it up with a shakier start against the Red Sox (five earned runs, but 11 strikeouts), that almost-perfect effort against Texas felt like it was just foreshadowing the inevitable. This is the kind of pitcher who’s capable of absolute greatness.
In a recent megadeal contract predictions roundup, Jeff Passan wrote that Skubal was good enough to make $400 million; Evan Petzold of The Detroit Free Press reported that an anonymous National League evaluator already set that bar all the way back in December.
Over the offseason, the Tigers tried and failed to extend Skubal, who is going to be hard to keep from free agency. Scott Harris, when asked again about the possibility of the team extending Skubal last week, sort of tried to dodge the question.
“We can’t just decide we’re going to sign him. It takes two parties and some understanding of the parameters of a deal, and it takes a willingness on both sides to actually do it.”
Scott Harris’ update on Tigers-Tarik Skubal extension talks isn’t promising
If were going to read into that, it kind of makes it sound like there’s unwillingness on Skubal’s end. On one hand, this is unsurprising, given that Skubal is represented by Scott Boras, who loves to have his clients test free agency and drive their prices to their absolute ceiling, but it still prompts a sinking feeling in Tigers fans stomachs that we may only see Skubal in the Old English D through 2026.
There’s still a lot of time between now and then for Skubal — if he is indeed reluctant to take an extension — to change his mind, and for the front office to put forward an offer that can actually entice him to stay. But there’s also a lot of time between now and then for the price to get even more out of hand.
The richest contract the Tigers have ever given a player was Miguel Cabrera’s eight-year, $248 million extension in 2014. Comparing Skubal and Cabrera is mostly an apples-to-oranges endeavor, but Tigers have far more reason to extend Skubal given what they have built looks like it’s going to last.
Harris and the front office need to do anything they can to try to keep this guy in Detroit. If he does eventually leave, that’s his prerogative, but Tigers fans would riot if the organization doesn’t try its damndest.
