DETROIT — Soon after the Detroit Tigers’ agreement with left-handed pitcher Framber Valdez became public, ace Tarik Skubal shared a breaking news graphic on his Instagram story.
Skubal tagged Valdez and wrote: “Dinners on you.”
Less than 24 hours later, after a three-person arbitration panel awarded Skubal a record $32 million salary in what could be a landmark case for players, Tigers right-hander Jack Flaherty shared an Instagram story of his own. Flaherty’s post showed a picture of Michael Jordan pouring champagne on Dennis Rodman after a Chicago Bulls title celebration.
“Dinners on Skub and Framber,” Flaherty wrote.
All’s well that ends well, right?
After a winter of speculation and public tension, in the waning days of an offseason where Skubal endured trade rumors and a ballyhooed arbitration hearing, this saga seems to have reached its conclusion, with its various players set to move forward together.
Skubal is going to be the highest paid pitcher in the history of MLB’s arbitration system. Sitting across from officials representing his own team could have been awkward, but the Tigers did not get personal in arguments against Skubal’s salary. How could you when the left-hander has won two consecutive Cy Young Awards and carried the team to the playoffs in both seasons?
Instead, the Tigers centered their arguments to pay Skubal only $19 million on comparisons within the framework of the arbitration system. Agent Scott Boras, as expected, based his arguments around Skubal’s two-time Cy Young status and his interpretation of the Collective Bargaining Agreement.
Whether many players in the future can actually compare themselves to Skubal remains to be seen. But a decision that settled the largest gap in arbitration history could raise the ceiling for pitchers who follow. The panel’s decision further validated Boras’ argument that the CBA allows for fifth-year players to compare themselves to contracts signed via free agency.
As Tim Lincecum was said to have done in 2010, Skubal did not sit down and thud two Cy Young trophies on the table. Boras had the awards on hand in case things got heated. He did not break them out.
Reached by phone after Thursday’s announcement, the agent offered one of his patented puns.
“When you’re Cy-squared you’re exponentially different,” Boras said. “We all know that from Einstein. … There’s only 12 men to walk on the moon, and there’s only 12 men to win back-to-back Cy Young Awards.”
Tense as arbitration hearings can be, the two sides seemed to walk away amicably, Skubal notably richer and the Tigers still with one more year of the best lefty in the game. Spring training starts next week and a new dawn takes hold.
The Tigers, as The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal reported, have no plans to trade Skubal simply because he is earning a higher wage. The Tigers even surprised everyone when they spent big to acquire Valdez on a three-year, $115 million contract. Valdez’s deal is pending physical, but he should slot in as Skubal’s No. 2, giving the Tigers a nasty combo of lefties atop what could be one of the best rotations in the game.
The Tigers are on track to enter the year with a competitive-balance payroll near $233 million, the highest in franchise history.
Skubal’s time in the center of speculation is not fully over. There’s the trade deadline, then an offseason where he could be in line to make more money than any free-agent pitcher ever has on a free-agent contract.
But for the next few months, the drama should dwindle and the baseball should take precedence. Skubal will begin the 2026 season looking to join Greg Maddux and Randy Johnson as the only pitchers to win three consecutive Cy Young awards. In signing Valdez, the Tigers finally made the sort of impact move that could help Skubal and the team’s young core reach the next level.
Tigers manager A.J. Hinch has stayed in touch with Skubal throughout the winter and recently spent time with his ace at the BBWAA awards dinner in New York. In an appearance on the Tiger Territory podcast earlier this week, Hinch seemed bullish about Skubal’s competitive nature helping him focus on his pitching craft amid the noise.
“I know this offseason for him, he’s been as public as anybody’s offseason,” Hinch said. “There’s nothing he can do that doesn’t get talked about, or all these trade comments, the arbitration, the contract, the free-agent year. It could be a distraction if he allowed it. That’s just not how he’s wired.”
This coming season could be the Tigers’ final shot with Skubal. This could be Skubal’s last chance to cement his legacy as one of the great players in Tigers history.
Will it all end in Skubal dousing his new rotation mate in champagne? Hard to say.
But with a weird winter in its final days, spring training and sunshine are in sight.
Believe it or not, Skubal, Valdez and the Tigers should be riding high into a new season.