Detroit Tigers ace Tarik Skubal will get paid a handsome amount for the 2026 MLB season.
Skubal filed for arbitration after he and the Tigers couldn’t agree to a deal. Skubal had filed to receive a $32 million salary in 2026. On Thursday, the verdict came in that Skubal had won his arbitration case and will get paid $32 million in a historic move, according to ESPN’s Jeff Passan.
BREAKING: Two-time reigning American League Cy Young winner Tarik Skubal won his arbitration case and will make $32 million this year, sources tell ESPN. Skubal’s bet to go for the largest salary ever in the arbitration system paid off, as he’ll make $13M more than Tigers argued.
— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) February 5, 2026
The arbitration win for Skubal and the $32 million salary he will receive shattered the previous high of $19.9 million awarded by a panel.
The Tigers had offered a $19 million salary for Skubal in 2026, making the $13 million spread the largest in the history of the salary-arbitration era. His salary is higher than the previous record of $31 million for Juan Soto in 2024.
The Skubal news comes a day after the Tigers stunned everybody by signing former Houston Astros ace Framber Valdez to a three-year deal worth $115 million, giving the Tigers one of the best 1-2 pitching duos in the league.
Skubal won the 2025 American League Cy Young Award after posting a 13-6 record with a 2.21 ERA in 31 starts. Now, he is set to earn a whopping $32 million in 2026.
