Salary Dispute with Tigers’ Pitcher Skubal
The yearly salary dispute with the Tigers’ ace pitcher, Tarik Skubal, has taken center stage, and it’s being referred to as “Fumble.”
Josh Donaldson, a former third baseman for the Yankees, recently voiced his opinion on the arbitration discussions surrounding Skubal, following the unsuccessful contract negotiations for 2026 between the player and the team.
“I saw the news about Skubal’s arbitration a bit late, but still,” Donaldson mentioned. “The Detroit Tigers really dropped the ball here. Skubal is asking for $32 million, while Detroit’s offer sits at $19 million. That’s just ridiculous, honestly.”
This $13 million gap in arbitration figures marks the largest disparity in MLB history.
Skubal, who is 29, has earned consecutive American League Cy Young Awards, proving himself as one of baseball’s top talents. Over the last two seasons, he has pitched 387 1/3 innings across 62 games, achieving a stellar 31-10 record and a 2.30 ERA with 469 strikeouts.
He’s aiming to set a new benchmark, surpassing David Price’s record of $19.75 million for the highest salary awarded through arbitration to a pitcher.
Donaldson, who received the MVP award in 2015, knows this arbitration dance all too well. After winning, he and the Blue Jays couldn’t come to an agreement, with him proposing $11.8 million and Toronto countering with just $11.35 million.
Interestingly, the two sides had initially agreed on a two-year extension that bought out two arbitration years, culminating in a record one-year deal worth $23 million in February 2018.
The multi-year extension Donaldson hoped for didn’t materialize, and he ended up being traded a few months later—this could also be Skubal’s fate.
Reports from November shed light on a staggering $250 million gap in Skubal’s extension talks with the Tigers, leading to his name swirling in trade rumors throughout the offseason.
Both the Mets and Yankees have shown interest in the left-handed pitcher, with the Yankees believing that acquiring him would cost them “half the team.”
Donaldson, who had a lackluster stint with the Yankees from 2022 to 2023, isn’t the only former Yankee weighing in on Skubal’s situation this offseason. Cameron Maybin, previously a Tigers outfielder, voiced similar concerns regarding Skubal’s treatment and encouraged the Yankees to pursue a trade.
“The Tigers clearly don’t want to pay him what he deserves, or else they would have done it already,” Maybin noted. “They’re probably just trying to convince themselves that it’s not wise to give Skubal what he’s asking for.”
