Tarik Skubal ultimately let his resume speak for itself, but he had another card — or a couple more — up his sleeve had that not been enough to win his arbitration hearing.
According to The Athletic's Ken Rosenthal, Skubal brought his two Cy Young Award plaques to the hearing on Wednesday, ready to prove to the arbitrators and the Detroit Tigers that he's worth his record $32 million asking price.
It was a copy of the tactic pulled by former San Francisco Giants ace Tim Lincecum, who placed his two plaques on the table during his arbitration hearing in 2009 and walked away less than an hour later with a new two-year contract.
Coming off back-to-back Cy Young Awards — posting league-leading ERAs of 2.39 and 2.21 in 2024 and 2025, respectively — Skubal was able to compare his worth to the best of the best. Perhaps the greatest argument for the 29-year-old, however, was the ability to compare himself to free agent contracts due to having five-plus years of service in the Majors.
Blake Snell, who has two Cy Youngs of his own, signed a five-year, $182-million deal with the Dodgers at the end of 2024 and was used as a comparable by agent Scott Boras in the hearings, he confirmed.
The Tigers also handed Skubal's now teammate Framber Valdez $115 million over three years — a number above Skubal's, even with deferrals.
In the end, Skubal and Boras chose to let the star pitcher's on-field performance do the talking, leaving the Cy Young plaques out of the room, and the result was Skubal being awarded his record salary.
