If Detroit Tigers president of baseball operations Scott Harris wants an estimate for a Tarik Skubal extension, the most recent episode of the Pardon My Take podcast may have a clue for him.
Skubal visited the Pardon My Take studio in Chicago to record an interview last week for an episode released on Wednesday, June 11, where one of the hosts offered a hypothetical contract offer of 10 years and $425 million.
“That sounds good,” Skubal said, before jokingly allowing the hosts to negotiate the contract for him.
Skubal and the Tigers agreed to a one-year, $10.15 million contract on Jan. 9, avoiding arbitration for the defending American League Cy Young winner. Skubal is under team control through the 2026 season, meaning he will become a free agent ahead of 2027 unless he and the team can agree on a contract extension.
When asked about a potential contract extension for Skubal, Harris has previously been non-committal, though Harris took a more diplomatic approach in a recent interview with Jim Costa and Jon Jansen on WXYT-FM (97.1), saying he won’t discuss anything until something is official.
Skubal said before the season that he’s keeping talks between him and the Tigers “pretty private,” also saying that he loves playing in Detroit, something he reiterated on the podcast episode.
The lefty was asked whether it’s difficult to pitch knowing a potential record-breaking contract may be on the horizon for him, to which he answered:
“When our team is doing what we’re doing … the whole contract and money stuff kind of goes to the side because we’re winning so much,” he said. “It makes it easier in that aspect.”
Skubal also compared that feeling to the team’s turnaround in the 2024 season, when the Tigers went from selling at the trade deadline to a surprise playoff appearance.
“Last year when we traded away guys, it did make it a little more difficult to pitch, because I knew that I was chasing down an award,” he said. “And then we went on that run, and it kind of took all that (expletive) away.”
Skubal has maintained his remarkable form from last year in 2025, running a 2.16 ERA in 83⅓ innings over 13 starts, striking out 105 batters while walking just seven all season. He also started arguably the best-pitched game of the season, a 94-pitch shutout in a 5-0 win over the Cleveland Guardians on May 25.
Skubal is also leading all pitchers in FanGraphs’ wins above replacement (3.4) as of Wednesday afternoon. The Tigers are matching their ace’s success, entering Wednesday’s games with MLB’s best record at 44-24.
For Skubal, that’s a great way to quiet the noise of contract-extension talk.
“Winning takes a lot of that stuff off your mind as a player.”
