The Detroit Tigers and Tarik Skubal are heading toward a record-setting salary arbitration hearing.
Never before has the gap been as wide as what the Tigers' side and Skubal's side submitted for the hearing.
The Tigers filed at $19 million. Skubal's camp filed at $32 million.
The $13 million margin is a record.
If they reach arbitration, a panel will decide whether Skubal makes $19 million or $32 million in the 2026 MLB season.
With Skubal trending toward a possible trade or a potentially record-setting free agency, everything that happens here for the Tigers looms large in their future.
There's maybe one good sign here for Detroit: Super agent Scott Boras, who represents Skubal, isn't hanging up the phone.
"We are open to negotiate," Boras said, via the Detroit Free Press.
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Essentially, Boras is allowing the Tigers to come forth with an offer a lot closer to $32 million if they want to avoid the oftentimes contentious arbitration hearing itself.
It's not clear whether Detroit would do that, but it makes sense for the Tigers to at least try to bring the number down a bit.
Skubal won the last two AL Cy Youngs. It'll be tough for him to lose the hearing.
Boras isn't necessarily known for his compromises, though, so it's likely the Tigers would have to come quite close to that $32 million to get a deal done.
With Skubal's future uncertain, the entire baseball world is keeping a close eye on this one.
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