T-minus 224...

That's how many games Tarik Skubal has left as a Tiger. I hope I'm wrong.

I’m sorry to be the bearer of bad news.

Your ace pitcher is likely not to be signed to a big time extension by the Tigers before he becomes a free agent after the 2026 season.

Two words why.

Scott. Boras.

On Sunday night, in yet another national broadcast, Tarik Skubal once again dominated the opposition. Just as he toyed with the Twins a few weeks ago, Skubal turned the Texas Rangers’ bats into cooked spaghetti (except for that damn Corey Seager). And he needed to do it, because the Tigers haven’t exactly looked like the 1927 Yankees lately themselves offensively.

Ultimately Skubal got a no decision, thanks to a wild pitch one batter after he was pulled (more about that later). Still, one earned run in 6.2 innings was another day at the office for the 28 year-old. He racked up 11 more strikeouts. Of course, he didn’t walk anyone. Skubal hates walking people, so he simply doesn’t.

But the Tigers ultimately won, 2-1.

Twenty-eight years old.

Which means that Skubal is entering the so-called prime years of his career. His next contract figures to include his most dominant, productive years. He’s already had his requisite Tommy John surgery.

It’s clearly going to take the backing up of a Brinks truck to get Skubal’s name on a contract.

This is where it gets sticky.

All night long on Sunday, the ESPN announcing crew, when not effusively praising Skubal or re-telling for the millionth time the call-up story of the Rangers’ Cody Freeman, could barely hide their excitement at the thought of Skubal, starting in 2027, wearing Dodger Blue or Yankee pinstripes.

“It’s all set up for Skubal to sign with the Yankees, Dodgers, Mets or Red Sox,” play-by-play man Karl Ravech said (slightly paraphrasing), with more than a little hope in his voice.

Yeah, yeah—we know.

The aforementioned Boras is Skubal’s agent, and that alone means that the Tigers’ efforts to ink Skubal before he hits the open market will almost certainly fail.

Presuming the Tigers try to do so.

Boras loves letting his players hit free agency. Signing extensions with their current clubs aren’t sexy to him. Or as profitable.

The Tigers have the rest of 2025 and all of 2026 to squeeze the most they can out of their ace and losing streak stopper. After that is anyone’s guess.

The good news (I guess) is that these are also prime years for the Tigers as a team. With some tweaks from POBO Scott Harris and with a loaded pipeline in the minors, the Tigers should be an annual playoff team for several years.

In other words, they should be able to withstand losing Skubal after 2026.

That’s thinly veiled, simplistic code for: brace yourselves.

With each painted called strike, with each swing and miss, with each flirtation of a no-hitter, with each big league hitter looking like a junior college player, the fans urge owner Chris Ilitch to spend his pizza dough on keeping Skubal in Detroit for the next 10 years.

If only it was that simple.

Do I think Ilitch wants Skubal to stay? Of course. Having #29 on the mound at Comerica Park instantly means fannies in the seats and eyeballs on the televisions.

But how much does Little I want Skubs in the old English D?

Here’s what I think is likely to happen.

The Tigers, who’ve already made at least one lukewarm offer for an extension that was reportedly rejected, will make public at least one more offer to help placate the fan base. That offer will likely fall far short of the expectations of the Skubal camp.

And by “camp,” I mean Scott Boras.

There will be posturing. As much as the Tigers don’t want them to be, negotiations will inevitably end up happening through the press. There are too many national eyeballs with too many connections for there not to be leaks.

I don’t see the Tigers signing Skubal beyond 2026.

This is their seminal moment when it comes to contracts—even more so than when they extended Miggy Cabrera.

I just don’t see the Tigers swimming in the deep end of the pool when push comes to shove.

Whatever contract Skubal signs, it’s not going to age well. They never do. But it’s not about what happens in 2032 or 2034 or 2036.

Reports are that the asking price is no less than 10 years, probably near $400 million.

To start.

I think the Tigers will make a token offer or two, throw up their hands and move on.

It wouldn’t be the worst thing in the world, you know.

As much as we all love Skubal, by 2027, when he’d be an ex-Tiger, the team should be much better than it is now. Youngsters like Max Clark and Kevin McGonigle, presuming they’re not packaged and sent elsewhere, are just two of the pieces that should integrate well with the current (still young) core.

No one is as good as Skubal now on the mound. Even the dynamic Paul Skenes needs to do it another year or two. It won’t be easy to watch him walk away, especially to sign with one of baseball’s evil empires.

I’m not suggesting that the Tigers will be better without Skubal. But it doesn’t have to mean the end of all hope.

Having said all this, please know that the idea of “big” and “small” market teams is a fallacy. Gaslighting by the media and the owners themselves.

Last I looked, no MLB owner is collecting SNAP. None of them are living paycheck to paycheck.

Team owners wipe their you-know-what with money. I don’t care if you’re talking about the Dodgers or the Rays. Some may have more money to function as toilet paper than others, but no one who owns a team can’t come up with the cash to pay star players. The narrative of small market teams just scrimping by, is by their choice.

Every one of them could break off a check for 10 years and $400 million for one player, should they desire.

The Tigers probably won’t desire.

Why?

It’s just not in their DNA, post-Big I.

I’d love to be proven wrong.

As for Skubal himself, he being lifted from last night’s game when he was, was odd.

Two outs in the seventh inning. A tad over 100 pitches. One more out to get, with runners on 1st and 3rd. A skinny 1-0 lead to protect.

Skubal himself wanted no part of being removed at that point.

He’s your ace. Your horse. You’ve lost six games in a row, largely due to bullpen malpractice. He deserved to get that last out. My opinion, but it’s shared.

Yet manager AJ Hinch, presumably after talking to pitching coach Chris Fetter, who moments earlier made a mound visit, felt otherwise.

The look of disappointment on Skubal’s face was palpable when Hinch came to get him.

It didn’t help when Tyler Holton, in relief, moments later bounced a wild pitch in front of catcher Dillon Dingler, allowing the tying run to score.

But as far as the future, I have this stubborn feeling that we won’t see Tarik Skubal in a Tigers uniform on Opening Day 2027.

Sorry.