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Framber Valdez (l) and Tarik Skubal (MLB photos)
Update: 11 p.m. Thursday: Tigers pitcher Tarik Skubal won his arbitration and will earn $32 million this season.
On Wednesday, the day of an arbitration hearing in Arizona to determine this year's salary for Detroit Tigers ace pitcher Tarik Skubal, the team threw a curveball few saw coming.
It was reported in multiple media outlets that the Tigers signed former Houston Astros pitcher Framber Valdez, a left-hander and two-time All-Star, to a three-year deal worth $115 million — a little more than $38 million a year. He also received a $20 million signing bonus.
MLB.com reports that the deal is pending a physical and includes an opt-out after the 2026 season.
At arbitration, the Tigers are offering Skubal $19 million. He was asking for $32 million. An arbiter will decide on one of those two numbers.
Skubal has been the subject of endless speculation.
He becomes a free agent after the season and is expected to command around $40 million a year, something the Tigers have seemed hesitant to pay. Skubal is 29, and Valdez, who is from the Dominican Republic, is 32.
In 2025, Valdez, who is 5' 11", 230 pounds, earned $18 million with the Astros.
People might wonder why the Tigers would give someone not as talented as Skubal close to the same money he wants.
Frankly, the Tigers may be willing to pay that amount to Skubal but are hesitant to sign a long-term contract—possibly eight years or more—that agent Scott Boras is seeking. That lengthy commitment may be of particular concern given that Skubal has had two surgeries on his arm.
