Let’s be real—if there is one guy in baseball right now who is making hitters miserable, it is Tarik Skubal. The Detroit ace is in the middle of a jaw-dropping season. After finally staying healthy in 2024, he just didn’t pitch well—he just flat out owned the league. He took home the AL pitching Triple Crown and bagged the Cy Young, reminding everyone what he can do when he is at his healthiest self.
Now, naturally, you would think that, given that even now Skubal is having a stellar season, the Tigers would be sprinting to lock him up for the long term, right? An awesome extension is just waiting to happen. Right?
Well…not quite. Even Jon Heyman, a week back in the New York Post, talked about how the extension talks between the two parties are not going smoothly. In fact, the two sides were not even close. But does it still stand true?
Could the Tigers get an extension done with ace Tarik Skubal? @tigers | #RepDetroit
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— MLB Network Radio on SiriusXM (@MLBNetworkRadio) June 8, 2025
Now, in a way, Heyman’s take makes sense. Skubal wants a record-breaking deal, and that kind of pushes him past Zack Wheeler’s $42 million per year. And with what he is doing right now, he deserves it. Tigers GM Greenberg, though, is not on the same page; in fact, he knows exactly what Skubal brings to the table. “Sometimes it’s hard to put into words what he means…An elite talent, elite competition. He won the Cy Young last year, and he’s always looking to improve. Constantly trying to find which adjustments he can make from start to start to give himself and our team the best chance to win, and every time he goes out there, we’ve got a really good chance to win that,” said Greenburg.
Greenberg also added that keeping elite talent is a top priority for the Detroit Tigers. But those talks are staying behind closed doors for now. Here is the kicker, though: Skubal is represented by Scott Boras. And if you don’t know already, he is a super agent, and he loves sending his stars into free agency. And with Skubal hitting the market after 2026, the big market teams are already getting ready. The way this is shaping up to be, if the Detroit Tigers don’t want to go all in and blow past the $42 million AAV mark, they could lose the best pitcher they have had in decades.
Tarik Skubal is breaking baseball records!
Now, Skubal has always had the stuff—the electric fastball and that bulldog mentality. He couldn’t stay long on the mound because of his health, and maybe that was what kept him away from the top tier. But 2024 was iconic for him, and not just for the Cy Young; he had 18 wins, a 2.39 ERA, and 238 strikeouts. It was a masterclass from start to finish. But here is the deal—2025 might be even better.
Detroit Tigers pitcher Tarik Skubal throws against the Baltimore Orioles in the third inning of a baseball game in Detroit, Sunday, May 15, 2022. (AP Photo/Lon Horwedel)
On June 6, Tarik Skubal, playing against the Cubs, put up another gem—7.2 innings, six Ks, and zero walks. This has brought his strikeout-to-walk ratio over his last 11 starts to 95-to-3. This is not good; it is historic level. According to Sarah Langs of MLB.com, no pitcher in the last 125 years has done this record in any 11-game span. Let that simply sink in.
But what makes it crazier is he is not just blowing hitters away; he is also not walking guys. He is attacking and dominating. Currently, he is rocking a 5-2 record, 2.16 ERA, 0.82 WHIP, and a 15.0 K/BB ratio. Ask anyone, and they would say it is unheard of. If this goes on, the best pitcher tag might just follow him.
Don’t you think so too? Let us know.
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