Detroit Tigers left-handed ace Tarik Skubal, the American League Cy Young Award winner the last two seasons, was awarded a $32 million salary in 2026 by an arbitration panel on Thursday, shattering the previous records.
Skubal, 29, was offered $19 million by the Tigers, but far surpassed David Price’s $19.75 million record in 2015 for a pitcher’s arbitration salary. Skubal, who received a record $21.85 million raise after earning $10.15 million in 2025, also eclipsed Juan Soto’s $31 million mark in 2024 for highest of any arbitration-eligible player.
Represented by agent Scott Boras, Skubal cited a clause in the CBA that allows players with five years of service to compare their contracts to any player, not just contracts determined by arbitration. In 2026, the Phillies’ Zack Wheeler ($42 million), Skubal’s new teammate Framber Valdez ($38.3 million) the Rangers’ Jake deGrom ($38 million), the Yankees’ Gerrit Cole ($36 million) and the Dodgers’ Tyler Glasnow ($32.5 million) will be the only pitchers making more than Detroit’s ace.
A three-person panel of independent arbitrators determined Skubal’s salary following Wednesday’s hearing in Arizona. At the hearing, Skubal’s “special achievements,” which include becoming the first AL pitcher to win consecutive Cy Young Awards since Pedro Martinez (1999-2000), was the deciding factor for the panel to side with Skubal, per The Athletic.
Only 15 players will earn more in 2026 than Skubal, who is slated to become a free agent after the season. He’ll likely command a salary exceeding the record $325 million deal for a starting pitcher that the Dodgers’ Yoshinobu Yamamoto signed last year.
In his back-to-back Cy Young campaigns, Skubal struck out 469 in 387 1/3 innings, going 31-10 with a 2.30 ERA and winning the AL’s pitching triple crown in 2025. He also led the majors with a 7.30 strikeout-walk ratio and a 0.89 WHIP last season.
Over six seasons and 137 games (134 starts) with the Tigers, Skubal is 54-37 with a 3.08 ERA, 889 strikeouts, 172 walks and a 1.025 WHIP.
