Tarik Skubal wins salary
arbitration case, will be paid record $32 million
[February 06, 2026]
By RONALD BLUM
Tarik Skubal won his salary arbitration hearing with the Detroit
Tigers on Thursday, and the two-time Cy Young Award winner will be
paid a record $32 million this year instead of the team's $19
million offer.
Jeanne Charles, Walt De Treux and Allen Ponak made the decision one
day after listening to arguments.
“This was about Cy squared,” Skubal's agent, Scott Boras, said in a
reference to Skubal winning the Cy Young in both 2024 and ‘25. “It’s
an Einsteinian theory, kind of like mc-squared."
Boras said he introduced Blake Snell's $36.4 million average salary
with the Los Angeles Dodgers as a comparison, allowable because
Skubal is within a year of free agent eligibility.
A provision in the collective bargaining agreement states “the
arbitration panel shall, except for a player with five or more years
of major league service, give particular attention, for comparative
salary purposes to the contracts of players with major league
service not exceeding one annual service group above the player’s
annual service group.”
Boras said he told the panel there was no limit on raises.
“This was a CBA rights case,” Boras said. ”When you put a platform
Cy at the top of five MLS (year's of service) market, when has that
happened before? Well, Jack McDowell. He was on top for the five MLS
market, ahead of (Barry) Bonds, ahead of (Ruben) Sierra. I said:
`This is how platform fives get treated.'"
Toronto first baseman Vladimir Guerrero Jr. had held the record for
the highest salary in an arbitration case decided by a panel,
winning at $19.9 million in 2024 in a case decided by Charles, De
Treux and Scott Buchheit.
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Colorado third baseman Nolan Arenado submitted a
record request of $30 million in 2019, then agreed to a $260
million, eight-year contract without a hearing.
Juan Soto’s $31 million contract with the New York Yankees in 2024
had been the largest one-year deal for an arbitration-eligible
player. David Price had held the highest negotiated salary in a
one-year contract for an arbitration-eligible pitcher, a $19.75
million agreement with Detroit in 2015.
A two-time All-Star, Skubal will be eligible for free agency after
the World Series. The 29-year-old left-hander is 54-37 with a 3.08
ERA in six major league seasons.
Skubal was 13-6 with an AL-best 2.21 ERA in 31 starts last year,
striking out 241 and walking 33 in 195 1/3 innings while earning
$10.5 million. His 0.891 WHIP topped qualified pitchers.
After the hearing Wednesday, the Tigers agreed to a $115 million,
three-year contact with left-hander Framber Valdez, a deal pending a
successful physical.
Players have won the first three decisions this offseason.
Right-hander Kyle Bradish was awarded $3.55 million instead of the
Baltimore Orioles’ offer of $2,875,000, and catcher Yainer Diaz
received $4.5 million instead of the Houston Astros’ $3 million
proposal.
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