A.J. Hinch’s message to Tarik Skubal after the arbitration

The Tarik Skubal case has been the subject of much discussion recently. And with good reason.

The best pitcher in the world appeared before an arbitrator to hear the Tigers tell him why he didn't deserve to earn $32 million. He was offered $19 million for 2026, his last year before free agency.

Skubal, who didn't need to pull out his two Cy Young winner plaques from 2024 and 2025 to prove his point, won. He won for himself, but also for Paul Skenes and other exceptional pitchers who are coming up.

He won against the Tigers (an organization he is expected to leave within a year), certainly… but he also won against the system. Because yes, many owners did not want to see him raise the bar for pitchers in arbitration.

The Tigers and MLB picked a fight with Tarik Skubal — and now they're paying for it. Column: https://t.co/HPsMlv0R6K

— Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) February 6, 2026

All this to say that it hasn't been easy for him. But now the time has come for the Tigers and for him to play baseball. He will report to the Tigers' camp in Florida shortly and will have to continue to do everything he can to win.

In Detroit, they're counting on him to form a powerful one-two punch with Framber Valdez and win games.

A.J. Hinch, the Tigers' manager, has the task of keeping Skubal on the right track. I don't know if he feels caught between a rock and a hard place, given that he works for the Tigers, but his day-to-day job is to keep his guys motivated.

After the hearing, he reached out to Skubal to make sure he was okay. And here's what he said to his pitcher.

Are you ready to win the division and the World Series? – A.J. Hinch to Tarik Skubal

AJ Hinch to Tarik Skubal after his arbitration hearing ended…

“You ready to go win the AL Central and try to win the World Series?” pic.twitter.com/Bmje8DGWfZ

— Foul Territory (@FoulTerritoryTV) February 6, 2026

As the manager said during a recent appearance on the Foul Territory podcast, he feels that his protégé will be ready. However, it was his duty to make sure that his pitcher was okay.

After all, hearing your organization list your faults to an umpire to save money can't be a pleasant experience.

I imagine Scott Boras will remind his client that it's just business and that if he performs to the best of his ability, he will not only help his club win, but he will also help his cause on the free agent market to become the highest-paid pitcher in history.

Except for Shohei Ohtani, of course.

This content was created with the help of AI.