Detroit Tigers ace Tarik Skubal headlined a list of 18 players who failed to agree to a 2026 salary with their teams prior to Thursday's arbitration deadline.
Skubal is now likely to have his salary determined through an arbitration hearing with the Tigers later this month. The two-time AL Cy Young winner is asking for a $32-million salary, while the Tigers countered by filing at $19 million, a source told Mark Feinsand of MLB.com. The $13-million difference between the sides is the largest in arbitration history, according to ESPN's Jeff Passan.
If Skubal wins his hearing, his $32-million salary would be a new record for arbitration-eligible players, beating Juan Soto's 2024 mark by $1 million. He'd also shatter the pitcher arbitration record of $19.75 million set by David Price - then a member of the Tigers - in 2015.
Although the sides can still negotiate a deal up until the date of the hearing, the Tigers are one of several teams that generally operate using a file-and-trial approach, meaning they don't negotiate after the deadline. However, the team is expected to make an exception to this policy and continue to negotiate with the two-time reigning AL Cy Young winner, according to Chris McCosky of the Detroit News.
Arbitration hearings will take place in late January and early-to-mid February. Players and teams without agreements will exchange salary figures and argue their cases in front of a panel of arbiters. The panel then chooses either the team's offer or the player's request. Clubs can also sign players to multi-year deals before their hearings.
Here's the full list of players who exchanged figures with their teams after Thursday's deadline:
And here's a team-by-team look at the contracts for all arbitration-eligible players.