Justin Verlander’s brother warns Tigers to lock in Tarik Skubal before free agency

Tarik Skubal has arguably been one of, if not the best pitcher in the MLB since last season. The Detroit Tigers ace made his way to the Triple Crown in 2024 with an 18-4, 2.39 ERA record across 31 starts and 228, earning him his first Cy Young trophy.

While the Tigers celebrated his success on the mound that propelled them to a playoff spot, talks of his contract extension grew. Skubal earned himself a $7.5 million raise in arbitration this year, with a one-year $10.15 million contract. But after this season, he will have just one more year left on his contract.

Skubal has had a similar start to 2025 as well, going 10-2, 2.15 ERA across 17 starts with 138 strikeouts. Detroit fans want the team to offer him a mega extension. However, considering that they are a small market team, there has been skepticism if the Astros would pay their ace his worth.

As per former Tigers ace Justin Verlander's brother, Ben, though, the organization shouldn't let a player like Skubal walk away.

"You go into a rebuild and say you're building around arms. You find this guy, Tarik Skubal, in the ninth round. Tarik Skubal is the rebuild. He’s entering his prime — you have to lock him up now.

"Detroit fans have suffered long enough. Since 2017, it's been nothing but disappointment. So what message are you sending to the fan base, to the organization, to the city of Detroit if, after nearly a decade of preaching development and rebuilding around pitching, you finally develop the best arm in the game — a guy the city has rallied around, a guy who eats, sleeps, and breathes Detroit — and you still hesitate?

"Do not trade him. Do not let him walk. Do not let this get to free agency. Do not drag this out. Extend Tarik Skubal. Now," Verlander said.

There might be a little personal sentiment from Ben, as Justin Verlander was extended twice during his 13-year stay with the Tigers.

There, he received an $80 million five-year contract extension with two years of arbitration left and another five-year contract extension worth $140 million. While the numbers were high, Skubal is going to command more if he keeps his form.

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Jeff Passan predicts Tarik Skubal's expected contract value

As per ESPN insider Jeff Passan, who published a list of upcoming free agent deals, projected that a healthy Cy Young calliber Skubal could become the first pitcher to be signed to a $400 million contract.

It remains to be seen if the Tigers are willing to pay that much.

"The foundation for the first $400 million pitcher is there," Passan wrote.

The Tigers have a $144,507,354 payroll, with Jack Flaherty and Javier Baez commanding $25 million each. Extending Skubal would require them to pay him an annual salary way more than their current highest amount.

About the author

Nikhil Parshy is a baseball and ice hockey journalist at Sportskeeda, and after starting out as a cricket reporter, he has been an analyst with SK since November 2022. His interest in the sports were piqued a few years back after watching highlights on YouTube and he has followed the game ever since.

The Chicago Cubs breaking the 108-year curse in 2016 to lift the World Series remains Nikhil's favorite baseball moment. Two-way phenom Shohei Ohtani has been his favorite player ever since he started following the game, while the LA Dodgers are his favorite team.

As a writer, Nikhil maintains a strong attention to detail and rigorously cross-checks information. He seeks to strike a balance in his writing such that the regular reader gains an insight into player profiles, while also keeping in mind that the non-regular reader is not put off by jargon and shallow analysis.

Nikhil is an avid public speaker, and when not writing about baseball, he regularly participates in debates and quizzes.

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Edited by Bhargav