Tarik Skubal, Tigers Set For Salary Arbitration Hearing; Here's What That Means

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Arguably the best starting pitcher in Major League Baseball, back-to-back American League Cy Young Award winner Tarik Skubal and the Detroit Tigers are going to a salary arbitration hearing to determine the southpaw's 2026 salary.

What's the issue? What does this mean? Here's how the process works.

The issue between Skubal and the Tigers

Skubal, who's a free agent after the 2026 MLB season, and the Tigers can't agree to a salary for the 2026 season and are subsequently going to a salary arbitration meeting on Wednesday, Feb. 4. Detroit is reportedly offering $19 million, while Skubal seeks a record $32 million. The star lefty made $10.15 million in 2025, which itself was a significant raise from 2024's $2.65 million salary thanks to winning his first of two Cy Young awards.

What is salary arbitration?

It's a process deployed in the MLB offseason to determine salaries for select players in the upcoming season. It takes place when a player and team can't agree to a salary, with the mandated hearing typically scheduled for February and brought in front of a three-person panel of arbitrators. Those individuals decide whether to accept the player or team salary proposal. 

[The Big Picture: Why the Skubal-Tigers Salary Standoff Could Make MLB History]

The Tigers are a "trial and file" team, meaning they go through the full arbitration process if the two sides can't agree on a figure by the filing deadline rather than settle beforehand.

How does the process work? Who's eligible?

An individual has one year of service time under their belt at the MLB level after 172 days in a given year. Then, once a player reaches three years of service time, they're eligible for arbitration, so long as they haven't already signed a contract for the ensuing season. Once a player has reached his arbitration years, they are eligible for this process until they reach free agency.

What's the biggest arbitration salary in MLB history?

Juan Soto made $31 million with the New York Yankees in 2024 before hitting free agency the following offseason, making Skubal's $32 million filing a potential record not just for pitchers, but for any arbitration salary.