The Detroit Tigers Are Pushing Tarik Skubal Away
The Detroit Tigers have one of the best left-handed pitchers we’ll ever see in Tarik Skubal. The ace pitched to a 2.21 ERA (2nd), 0.89 WHIP (1st), and struck out 241 batters (2nd). He was amazing in both the regular and postseason, and you would think Detroit would do whatever it takes to retain him….right?
More Jaw Dropping News Comes Out
Heading into the offseason, we knew there was a gap in negotiations between Skubal and the Tigers front office, but things continue to get worse. Jon Heyman reported that the gap between the two is more than we initially thought. His original report was that there was a gap of “close to $250 million” in contract negotiations between Skubal and the Tigers.
Heyman reported yesterday that the Tigers’ initial offer to Skubal over a year ago was a four-year deal worth under $80 million. This means he’d be making less than $20 million per year, which is unfathomable with the numbers over the last three seasons. With this deal, Skubal would’ve made the same amount as guys like Frankie Montas, Zach Eflin, and Jameson Taillon.
After being offered this contract, I wouldn’t even blame Skubal if he didn’t want to negotiate. He has single-handedly carried their pitching staff and given an insulting offer. If this is the farthest the Tigers are willing to go, they should trade him this winter and get an absolute haul in return. It’s starting to make more and more sense why Skubal’s name kept being mentioned on the trading block this offseason.
The Tigers Are What’s Wrong With Baseball
There are many issues when it comes to how teams are spending their money in the modern era of baseball. I’m not denying that what the Dodgers are doing is unfair in any way, but implementing a salary cap won’t solve the issues at hand. Teams like the Tigers, Rockies, Cubs, Pirates, and even the Brewers are what’s wrong with baseball.
The Detroit Tigers didn’t even give Skubal, who has already put up some of the best numbers in franchise history, a fair deal to keep negotiations alive. Instead, they ran to make a pathetic offer, and will probably trade him in the offseason because they’re too cheap to retain him. They are more comfortable taking a huge step back, acquiring multiple prospects who have no major league experience, than paying the right price for a more than elite pitcher.
Many will complain about the big market teams having too much talent, but this is a prime example of why the sport is extremely lopsided. If the Tigers do decide to move on from Skubal in the offseason, I expect the Mets to be the top team in the running. Andy Martino of SNY has said that New York will be in a potential Skubal trade and would love to add an ace to their rotation.
