Following Tarik Skubal’s blockbuster departure, new details continue to emerge about the Detroit Tigers’ efforts to keep their ace in the organization for the long term. While the club ultimately chose a different path, a new report has revealed the only contract extension offer Detroit presented to Skubal. The latest details provide fresh insight into just how far the Tigers were willing to go in an attempt to retain one of baseball’s premier pitchers.
New Report Reveals Detroit Tigers’ Contract Extension Offer to Tarik Skubal
Jul 7, 2026; Detroit, Michigan, USA; Detroit Tigers pitcher Tarik Skubal (29) pitches in the second inning against the Athletics at Comerica Park. Mandatory Credit: Rick Osentoski-Imagn ImagesCredit: IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
In the aftermath of the 2026 MLB trade deadline, the Tigers face a new reality without Skubal and Casey Mize. Detroit president of baseball operations Scott Harris said the Tigers offered Skubal a contract extension once, only to be told that he was going to MLB free agency. Now, MLB agent Scott Boras has responded.
Boras spoke to The Athletic following Harris’ comments about a contract extension with Skubal. According to the agent, not all of what Harris said was correct, and that an offer came after the 2024 MLB season.
“[Scott Harris] informed me that he had offered a four-year contract to [Tarik Skubal] for $75 million,” Boras told The Athletic. “I advised him that a great deal for the Tigers would be something with an eight-year length where he had two years to go until arbitration and another six (before) free agency.”
According to Boras, the Tigers were not willing to go that far, and he never mentioned wanting to test free agency with Skubal. Based on his comments, these are two different viewpoints between Boras and Harris. It is hard to tell who is being truthful, but the Tigers don’t have an incentive to fabricate reality now that Skubal is a Los Angeles Dodgers player.
So, why could the Tigers reach a contract extension with Skubal? It is complicated.
Why Detroit Couldn’t Reach an Agreement with Tarik Skubal
If Harris is telling the truth, there wasn’t a single chance that Skubal was going to extend with the Tigers. The back-to-back AL Cy Young Award winner was always going to enter MLB free agency. However, Boras is saying that Detroit wasn’t willing to go far enough to secure a contract with Skubal.
The brutally honest assessment is that Boras is a difficult agent when it comes to contract extensions. More often than not, Boras’ clients always enter MLB free agency looking for big-money deals. Sometimes, the method works out with historic deals. Other times, it results in a career-defining mistake for players.
Skubal will likely exceed $300 million in a new deal, which makes a contract offer of $75 million very eye-opening. It likely didn’t matter what Harris and the Detroit front office wanted to offer for Skubal. The 29-year-old ace pitcher just seems destined to enter MLB free agency looking for the biggest pitcher contract ever.
It is hard to tell what the Tigers could have done differently. This just seems like a situation that was never going to result in a victory.
What the Failed Extension Means for the Tigers
Detroit Tigers president of baseball operations Scott Harris watches practice during spring training at TigerTown in Lakeland, Fla. on Friday, Feb. 13, 2026.Credit: USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
Detroit has to move forward. Led by Troy Melton, the Tigers’ rotation takes on short-term pain for long-term success. Skubal’s failed extension means the Tigers have Melton, Framber Valdez, Jackson Jobe, and River Ryan as options for the 2027 MLB season. This is a very high-upside rotation.
Losing Skubal to the Dodgers is very disappointing, but the organization has a bright future. The team now has six top-100 prospects, tied with the Dodgers and Baltimore Orioles for the most. This includes Zyhir Hope, who projects to be a multi-time MLB All-Star when he arrives in Detroit.
The Tigers have Kevin McGonigle and Max Clark in MLB. After years of waiting, Harris’ draft picks are here, and Detroit will have a lot of extra money this offseason. If Detroit beleives it can contend for a World Series, a failed contract extension for Skubal means it can allocate those funds elsewhere.
It was a dark week for the Tigers, but the future is so bright that it is paving the way forward.
Did the Detroit Tigers make the right decision to trade Tarik Skubal to the Los Angeles Dodgers?
Austin Konenski is a writer at Sportsnaut, covering the NHL, MLB, NFL, NBA, and more. His work can also … More about Austin Konenski
