Tigers not worried about Tarik Skubal amid massive contract year

Coming into the 2026 MLB offseason, the Detroit Tigers had a lot of questions that needed to be answered, with the main one being Tarik Skubal's future with the team.

There were plenty of rumors and speculation that he could be traded. Instead, not only is he staying on the team, but he got a record-breaking $32 million arbitration hearing in his favor. But, amid his contract year, it wouldn't be a surprise if Skubal felt a lot of pressure.

However, as ESPN's Buster Olney shared, the Tigers are not worried at all about Skubal letting his contract year impact him. Despite having tens, if not hundreds of millions of dollars on the line this year, Skubal is ready to compete.

Tigers not worried about contract-year pressure on Tarik Skubal

"While that process played out, there was never a question within the Tigers' organization about a possible arbitration hangover for Skubal, win or lose - or about whether Skubal would refocus, get back to work and bear a full investment in his teammates. Because that has always been his reflex," Olney writes.

There might not be a more high-profile contract year in baseball history than the one Skubal is heading into this season.

He's going to break the record for biggest contract signed by a pitcher next offseason, as long as he can continue to pitch well and stay healthy. If he does both of those, he might sign a deal well north of $400 million total.

Coming off winning his $32 million arbitration hearing, with a $19 million gap between his filing and the Tigers' filing, it wouldn't be a surprise if some lingering feelings were impacting his play in 2026.

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But, as Olney noted, the Tigers aren't concerned about Skubal getting back into his typical groove this season after such a tumultuous offseason.

Coming into the 2026 MLB season, Skubal is putting his $32 million arbitration win behind him and pushing off his massive contract talks until after the season.

Skubal has a chance to break the bank, and he's not letting such a possible future impact his play this upcoming season.

As Olney shared, after Skubal's arbitration win, manager A.J. Hinch texted Skubal asking if he was ready to try and win a World Series. And Skubal reportedly replied with a simple, one-word response: "Yes."

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