MLB Insider Projects Absurd Contract For Former Tigers Ace Tarik Skubal

With the two sides unable to reach an extension that would have kept Skubal in the Motor City beyond the 2025 season, the Detroit Tigers ultimately opted to trade their ace rather than risk watching him leave in free agency without receiving anything in return.

Detroit acquired prospects River Ryan , Brady Smith and Zyhir Hope as part of the deal, and they've already faced Skubal at Comerica Park weeks after the trade was completed, turning the page on that chapter.

Skubal, who can become an unrestricted free agent after this season, is expected to land a massive contract by whoever ultimately signs him. But just how big of a contract can he expect? According to one notable MLB Insider, it could be a mind-blowing number.

Former Detroit Tigers Ace Tarik Skubal Could Sign Mind-Blowing Contract In Free Agency

According to seasoned MLB Insider Jeff Passan, there's a chance that the number Skubal earns in free agency could approach nearly $500 million.

"The number will be huge. Bear in mind that Skubal turns 30 in November and never before has a pitcher age 30 or older received more than Stephen Strasburg 's $245 million (on a seven-year deal) in free agency," Passan wrote via ESPN. "Provided there is no salary cap, Skubal could get double that. A deal of that magnitude would presumably be for at least a decade — the sort of commitment teams might balk at because of his age. But someone is going to pay an exorbitant amount for his services. And he is going to be at the heart of the salary cap debate all the while, because barely a handful of teams are interested in paying $50 million a year for 33 starts."

Strasburg signed a $245 million deal with the Washington Nationals , while Gerrit Cole inked a $324 million deal with the New York Yankees . Yoshinobu Yamamoto signed for $325 million with the Dodgers , who also signed Shohei Ohtani to a massive $700 million deal.

If Skubal were to sign for $500 million, it would be one of the five richest contracts ever signed in MLB history.

Tarik Skubal Sounded Open To A Tigers Reunion

Weeks prior to the matchup, Skubal said that he would be open to a return with the Tigers after he enters free agency following the current campaign.

"I would love to play my whole career in Detroit. I would love to," Skubal explained in an interview with Pardon My Take . "And hopefully those negotiations can pick back up in November once the playoffs are done. We'll see where that goes. Hopefully they're involved with everything. I would love to return."

Meanwhile, Skubal lamented the fact that he and his now-former Tigers teammates weren't able to make a run at what would have been the club's first World Series title since 1984.

"This wasn't the way the season was supposed to go. Going into the offseason, [with] the people that we acquired through free agency and who we signed, I'm like, 'This is the World Series team,'" Skubal said. "This is the team that I'm gonna go and win a World Series and beat anybody. It doesn't matter what's going on."

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