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Tigers Lock Up Cy Young Winner Skubal for 2025

Detroit’s ace isn’t going anywhere – at least not this year. The Tigers avoided arbitration with Tarik Skubal today, agreeing to a 10.15 million dollar deal that keeps their Cy Young winner in the Motor City for another season.

Nobody’s surprised by these numbers after what Skubal did to the American League last year. The guy absolutely dominated, winning the Triple Crown with 18 wins, a ridiculous 2.39 ERA, and 228 strikeouts. He turned into the kind of ace every playoff team dreams about, carrying Detroit through that wild stretch run into October with 24 straight scoreless innings at one point.

That magical run included a masterful seven-inning shutout performance in Cleveland during Game 2 of the ALDS, though baseball’s cruel nature showed itself in Game 5 when a five-run fifth inning, including Lane Thomas’ grand slam, ended Detroit’s season. Still, Skubal’s regular season brilliance and playoff heroics earlier in the run helped deliver the Tigers’ first postseason appearance since 2014.

The only real question now is when – not if – the Tigers will work out a long-term deal. This one-year agreement is great and all, but Skubal hits free agency after 2026, and elite starting pitching doesn’t come cheap these days. The front office has to know they can’t let him get anywhere near the open market.

What a story this guy’s become. From ninth-round pick to unanimous Cy Young winner, Skubal’s transformed into one of baseball’s most electric arms. That fastball-changeup combo gave hitters fits all season, and at 28, he’s just hitting his prime.

Spring training’s coming up fast, and the Tigers can breathe easy knowing their rotation has a true ace leading the way. But they better start working on keeping him in Detroit long-term, because another season like 2024 and that price tag’s only going up.

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