• Jorge CastilloJan 8, 2026, 09:09 PM ET

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      ESPN baseball reporter. Covered the Washington Wizards from 2014 to 2016 and the Washington Nationals from 2016 to 2018 for The Washington Post before covering the Los Angeles Dodgers and MLB for the Los Angeles Times from 2018 to 2024.

Tarik Skubal and the Detroit Tigers failed to agree on a contract for the 2026 season before Thursday’s deadline to avoid arbitration, the team announced. The two sides had until 8 p.m. ET to settle on a deal before exchanging salary figures for an arbitration hearing.

Skubal, the two-time defending American League Cy Young Award winner, filed at $32 million. The Tigers filed at $19 million. The $13 million gap is the largest between two parties in salary arbitration history.

Players with more than three years of major league service time can use the arbitration process to negotiate their salaries for the upcoming season with clubs. If the two sides don’t come to terms on a deal by the deadline, they swap salary numbers that they take into an arbitration hearing.

Players and teams can come to a deal after Thursday’s deadline to avoid a hearing, where a three-person panel listens to both sides and chooses a winner. But Detroit has been a “file-and-trial” team, meaning they operate with the 8 p.m. deadline as a firm cutoff and go to a hearing if a deal isn’t in place by then. Hearings are scheduled from Jan. 26 to Feb. 13 in Scottsdale, Arizona.

If Skubal wins the case, he would break the record for the largest one-year deal for an arbitration-eligible player. Juan Soto set the mark when he settled for a $31 million deal with the New York Yankees in 2024 while David Price holds the record salary for an arbitration-eligible pitcher, a $19.75 million agreement with the Tigers in 2015. Jacob deGrom received the biggest raise for an arbitration-eligible pitcher ($9.6 million) in 2019, jumping from $7.4 million to $17 million in a deal with the New York Mets.

Toronto Blue Jays first baseman Vladimir Guerrero Jr. holds the record for the highest salary decided by a panel at $19.9 million in 2024.

The Tigers haven’t gone to an arbitration hearing with a player once since 2001; they won their case against right-hander Michael Fulmer in 2019. Last year, Skubal and the Tigers settled on a $10.15 million contract last year to avoid a hearing. The left-hander, who has been subject of trade rumors this offseason, is slated to reach free agency after the 2026 season.

There are two uncommon stipulations that could help Skubal win his case. The first allows players with at least five years of service time to compare themselves to not just past arbitration-eligible players, but every other player, which would permit Skubal to compare himself to past pitchers with the highest salaries. The second are his “special accomplishments,” which any player who has set records or earned awards can summon. Skubal is one of 12 pitchers to ever win back-to-back Cy Young Awards and one of 23 pitchers to win the award multiple times.

Whatever the outcome, Skubal will receive a hefty raise after recording a 2.21 ERA with 241 strikeouts in 195 ⅓ innings across 31 starts as the staff ace for a club that reached the postseason for the second consecutive year.

Skubal was one of 166 players eligible for arbitration entering Thursday and he’s one of 18 players that did not settle on a salary for the 2026 season before Thursday’s deadline. Other players without a deal include Houston Astros infielder Isaac Paredes, Milwaukee Brewers infielder William Contreras, Cincinnati Reds catcher Tyler Stephenson, Minnesota Twins starter Joe Ryan, Kansas City Royals starter Kris Bubic, Royals first baseman Vinnie Pasquantino, Astros catcher Yainer Diaz, and Baltimore Orioles starter Kyle Bradish.

On the other end, the Seattle Mariners and outfielder Randy Arozarena agreed to a $15.65 million salary in his final year of arbitration, the highest number for a settlement in baseball this year. Orioles shortstop Gunnar Henderson settled at $8.5 million, setting the franchise record for a player in his first year of arbitration.

The Chicago Cubs and right-hander Edward Cabrera, whom they acquired in a trade with the Miami Marlins on Wednesday, settled at $4.45 million.

Other players who finalized deals Thursday include: