MLB News: Cy Young Winner Tarik Skubal, Tigers Reportedly Agree to $10.15M Contract
January 9, 2025
After winning the 2025 AL Cy Young Award, Detroit Tigers starting pitcher Tarik Skubal is cashing in with a nice payday.
According to ESPN's Jeff Passan, Skubal and the Tigers agreed to a one-year, $10.15 million contract on Thursday to avoid arbitration. The deal is a solid bump from the $2.65 million he made in 2024.
Skubal will be arbitration-eligible for one more season before becoming a free agent after the 2026 season. The Tigers and the other 29 MLB teams had until 1 p.m. ET on Thursday to agree to deals with their arbitration-eligible players to avoid having to schedule a hearing and exchange salary figures.
In his first full year of being recovered from flexor tendon surgery that cost him portions of the 2022 and 2023 seasons, Skubal emerged as one of the best pitchers in the majors. The 28-year-old left-hander went 18-4 with a 2.39 ERA and 228 strikeouts across 31 starts to achieve the AL pitching Triple Crown. He was unanimously voted the Cy Young Award winner, receiving all 30 votes.
Skubal's stellar season helped the Tigers finish with an 86-76 record and earn their first playoff berth since 2014. Detroit swept the Houston Astros in the AL Wild Card Series before falling to the Cleveland Guardians in five games in the Division Series. Skubal carried his brilliance into the postseason, going 1-1 with a 2.37 ERA and 20 strikeouts in 19.0 innings pitched.
By avoiding arbitration with Skubal, the Tigers are retaining one of the rising stars in MLB at a relatively affordable contract. Detroit will need to add talent around him if it hopes to make a deeper playoff run in 2025.
