A new rumor claims the Detroit Tigers have named a New York Mets pitching legend as evidence as to why Tarik Skubal shouldn't get the huge pay raise he was seeking in arbitration earlier this month.
No one expected Skubal to become the kind of pitcher he has become over the past three seasons. After being selected in the ninth round in 2018, reaching the big leagues and remaining productive would have been a nice outcome. However, the Seattle University product has become, arguably, the game's best pitcher.
In 2024 and 2025, the 29-year-old not only earned All-Star honors in both seasons, but he was also awarded the American League Cy Young Award in both seasons. He even won the AL Pitching Triple Crown (most wins, strikeouts, and best ERA) in 2024.
Their excellence over the past two seasons sets up an interesting battle this winter. Skubal and his agent, Scott Boras, wanted to make history by asking for a raise in the final year of his rookie contract. Unsurprisingly, the Tigers were looking to get the best rate for the top pitcher in the AL because they have a mid-market payroll.
Tigers use deGrom as proof that Skubal shouldn't get historic raise
Ultimately, the arbitrators ruled in Skubal's favor and announced that he was entitled to a record-breaking $32 million salary in 2026. Detroit did their best to get him closer to the number they were reportedly aiming for, which was $19 million, and according to MLB insider Ken Rosenthal, they brought up NY Mets great Jacob deGrom as evidence in support of the number they thought Skubal should get for this season.
Athletic reporter told foul zone The podcast recently reported that the club wanted their pitcher to receive a salary similar to the $9.6 million deGrom received after the 2018 season. This increased his total salary for 2019 to $17 million and came after winning the National League Cy Young and making his second trip to the All-Star Game.
The amount for Skubble would have been less than $9 million, bringing the total to $19 million for the upcoming season. So that would have been a smaller increase, but higher than the annual numbers deGrom received. However, both the arbiters and Rosenthal felt that Skubal was a better pitcher now than the NY Mets legend for his team at the time.
Strangely, Skubal has been linked to the Mets in various trade and free agent rumors prior to this season.
