The hidden problem with baseball is that it was the game that boomers used to love, and when trying to enter a new era, it’s that same generation of fans that quickly show their age. Not only do doomers hate home run celebrations, they hate the fact that the contract prices for the game’s top talent go up every season. Shohei Ohtani and Juan Soto each received contracts worth at least $700 million in recent years, and Detroit Tigers starting pitcher Tarik Skubal figures to set the record for most paid to a starting pitcher once he hits free agency next year.
Skubal is fresh off his second consecutive Cy Young award, and recent comments about his contract situation haven’t exactly silenced the trade rumors. There is reportedly a large gap in negotiations between Skubal and the Tigers, and editors at the Detroit Free Press did what any reasonable person would do: ask the fans how the situation should be resolved.
Detroit Tigers fans show that they are ready to resolve the Tarik Skubal contract stalemate …for good, or worse?
The very first reader, a Tigers fan in Mississippi, appears to be a straight shooter. Pay Skubal $425 million. Hey, it’s not his money. And, to be fair, if Skubal wins a third consecutive Cy Young award next year, the bidding for his services may just start at a historic level. If Skubal doesn’t sign that deal, the Tigers fan confirms that he needs to be traded.
To be clear, a $425 million deal for Skubal is not just setting a record for a starting pitcher; it’s blowing past the previous record — Yoshinobu Yamamoto’s $325 million deal. For the record, Yamamoto was 25 when he signed that deal with the Los Angeles Dodgers. Skubal will be turning 30 next offseason when he is a free agent.
The other suggestions were balanced with one fan suggesting that the Tigers pay Skubal but include heavy deferrals after his playing career. There were a couple of readers who suggested that the Tigers walk away from a potential extension with Skubal, citing the burden it would create for the team’s payroll or the risk involved if the deal is for more than five years.
Regardless, for the Tigers, this would be the offseason to get an extension done with the two-time Cy Young award winner. Boomer or modern fan, the 2025 season provided the most exciting baseball that Tigers fans have seen in quite some time. Skubal is to thank for that, and should be paid accordingly.
Leave a Reply