Tarik Skubal, Tigers Reportedly Have $200M+ Gap in Contract Talks 1 Year Before MLB FA

The Detroit Tigers and ace Tarik Skubal are reportedly far from finding common ground in contract extension discussions before he enters free agency in 2026.

According to Jon Heyman of the New York Post, there's a gap of "close to $250 million" in negotiations between Skubal and the Tigers.

Cleveland Cavaliers star Donovan Mitchell, an outspoken New York Mets fan, wanted the Mets to target Skubal in a potential trade amid his uncertain long-term future.

Per Heyman, the Tigers made an offer to the left-hander in 2024 of "well less than" the $170 million deal that Garrett Crochet received from the Boston Red Sox. Skubal's "baseline ask" for a new contract is seen as $400 million.

A $400 million agreement would be the highest total contract value for a full-time starting pitcher, surpassing Los Angeles Dodgers starter Yoshinobu Yamamoto's $325 million deal (via Spotrac).

It isn't difficult to imagine Skubal's next long-term contract being a record-breaking one, as he's coming off a dominant 2025 campaign on the mound.

He compiled a 13-6 record in 31 starts, posting a 2.21 ERA and league-leading 0.891 WHIP. He also racked up 241 strikeouts compared to 33 walks in 195.1 innings of work.

Skubal remained sharp during Detroit's 2025 postseason run, recording a 1.74 ERA while averaging 15.7 strikeouts per nine innings across three starts.

His track record is also stellar, as he owns a career 3.08 ERA and earned unanimous American League Cy Young Award honors for the 2024 season.

Tigers president of baseball operations Scott Harris praised Skubal at the end of his 2025 campaign, but was noncommittal surrounding his future with the team.

"Tarik's a Tiger," Harris said Monday, per Evan Woodbery of MLive.com. "I hope he wins the Cy Young for the second consecutive year. He's an incredible pitcher, and we're lucky to have him. That's all I can say on that."

While both sides could eventually bridge the gap in extension conversations as the offseason progresses, they don't currently appear to be close to doing so.