Tigers pundit gets real about Tarik Skubal's long-term Detroit future amid eye-popping $400,000,000 projection

Tarik Skubal is arguably one of the best starters in the MLB. With an 18-4, 2.39 ERA record, he powered himself to a Cy Young award in 2024 and led the Detroit Tigers to an unexpected playoff appearance.

Skubal, who is under team control till the 2026 season, was asked over the weekend during his visit to Michigan State's basketball game against Illinois about his future with the Detroit Tigers. The 28-year-old kept his plans under wraps for now but professed his love for the city.

“I’ll keep that pretty private,” Skubal told The Associated Press. “But I love playing in Detroit, and I’m excited to get down to spring training.”

As per Bentley Scott, host of the "Locked on Tigers" podcast, Tarik Skubal and his agent, Scott Boras' projections of being the first starter to be offered a $400 million contract would be too much for the Tigers to match.

"The big talking points that have been thrown out there involving Skubal’s extension are his price tag," Scott said Monday. "I’ve seen some people even talk about him being the first $400 million contract pitcher, and if that’s the case, then I think you can pretty much kiss him goodbye. And that breaks my heart—I don’t want that to be true.

"But if [Scott] Boras is legitimately looking for $400 million, I would be flabbergasted, and that’s a word I don’t pull out too often. But I would be genuinely stunned if the Detroit Tigers organization and ownership were going to shovel over $400 million to one specific player."

Tarik Skubal hungry to head back into Spring Training

Tarik Skubal avoiding the one-year, $10.5 million contract offer has been the highlight of the Detroit Tigers offseason. Their ace received a 300% well-deserved hike from his previous salary in the 2023 season. Apart from that, the Tigers' only other notable signings have been Gleyber Torres and Alex Cobb. Still, Skubal feels there is a lot of fight in the current roster and is ready for Spring Training.

“We’re a young team, and a hungry team,” Skubal said on Sunday. “I’m as confident as I was at the end of the year going into spring training with the additions we made and the guys we have coming back.”

Spring Training for Tigers pitchers starts on Feb. 12 in Lakeland, Florida. Detroit would be hoping to do better from its 86-win season last year.