The Detroit Tigers lost their arbitration case due to following league guidelines, while Tarik Skubal secured a record-breaking salary.

Tarik Skubal, the Detroit Tigers' ace pitcher and the first American League Cy Young Award winner to claim the title in consecutive years this century, won a historic salary arbitration case, earning a record $32 million one-year contract in Major League Baseball arbitration history. Reports indicate that the Tigers lost because they trusted the league's guidance too much and offered only $19 million.

Skubal’s arbitration case attracted significant attention. The player, who is expected to secure a historic pitching contract on the free agent market after this season, demanded an unprecedented $32 million annual salary in arbitration, while the Tigers offered only $19 million — even less than David Price’s $19.75 million salary from ten years ago, which still stands as the highest pitcher arbitration award. Ultimately, Skubal won the arbitration and was awarded the $32 million salary.

Some fans and media criticized the Tigers' offer for failing to respect Skubal’s achievements, noting it was even lower than the decade-old record, which is hard to understand. According to Ginny Searle of Baseball Prospectus, the Tigers initially offered Skubal $19.8 million, but after his clear rejection, the team lowered the offer to $19 million in the formal arbitration filing.

This figure likely originated from guidelines provided by the MLB labor relations committee. Like most teams, the Tigers adopted a strategy recommended by the league to cease negotiations after filing for arbitration and proceed directly to a hearing, mistakenly believing this approach would succeed smoothly with the league’s support.

As of last year, there have been 505 salary arbitration cases decided by arbitrators in MLB history, with teams winning 291 times, a 57.6% success rate. However, after a 13-6 record for teams in 2023, the past two years have seen a shift favoring players: in 2024 and 2025 combined, players have won 14 cases while teams have won 10.

Including Skubal’s case, along with the recent ruling where Graham Ashcraft defeated his team’s $1.25 million offer to secure a $1.75 million salary, the first five salary arbitration cases this year have all favored players. There are still eight arbitration cases pending decisions.