Yes, the Detroit Tigers should sign Tarik Skubal at all costs — and to me, this feels like a no-brainer, especially for a franchise like Detroit and an owner like Chris Ilitch.
As Tigers fans, we’ve been asking for years to see a bigger commitment to winning. That commitment can’t just be about green-lighting deals to bring in veterans like Chris Paddack and Charlie Morton. It has to start with locking up your homegrown ace — one of the best pitchers in baseball — and ensuring Tarik Skubal remains in Detroit for the rest of his career.
Skubal’s Dominance Speaks for Itself
Coming off a season where he posted a 2.21 ERA, a 0.89 WHIP, and struck out 241 batters, Skubal is in line to win his second consecutive AL Cy Young Award. He’s firmly established himself among baseball’s elite and is the kind of cornerstone every contender needs.
Stop Worrying About Ilitch’s Wallet
Let’s be honest — Tigers fans need to stop worrying about Chris Ilitch’s bank account, especially in a league without a salary cap. Detroit consistently acts like a small-market team despite being a top-15 market in professional sports.
We sell ourselves short far too often. Ilitch has the resources to both sign Skubal to a massive extension and continue adding key pieces to build a World Series contender. If you want to win big, you have to spend big.
Don’t Fear the Back End of a Long Deal
If Skubal ends up signing a 10-year deal, I’m not the least bit concerned about what those final years might look like — and fans shouldn’t be either. Are we really prepared to pass up multiple legitimate World Series runs because we’re afraid of what age-38 Skubal might look like?
That’s a bridge you cross when you get there.
Lucrative, long-term contracts are simply the cost of doing business when it comes to elite pitchers in Major League Baseball. If the Tigers can somehow get a shorter five- or six-year deal done, great — though that seems unlikely, given reports that both sides are nearly $250 million apart in negotiations.
But let’s be clear: there’s absolutely no excuse for Ilitch or the Tigers to balk at a 10-year commitment to the best pitcher on the planet. You get the deal done — or you risk becoming just another Minnesota Twins-type organization, content with mediocrity.
Bottom line: Tarik Skubal is the kind of talent you build a championship era around. Pay him. Keep him. Win with him.