Royals fans can breathe sigh of relief as Tigers and Tarik Skubal head for ugly split

It's never particularly fun for Kansas City Royals fans to know their team sat out the playoffs. At the same time, a division rival at least had a chance to make a postseason run. So pardon those same KC fans if they enjoy the idea that the Detroit Tigers might be about to lose out on a generational starting pitcher by offering what can only be described as a laughable extension offer.

For both the Royals and Tigers, now is the time to plan for the 2026 season. Kansas City is busy figuring out just exactly who will fill out their rotation. While Detroit knows that Tarik Skubal will be back to open the year, it seems like the two sides are headed for an ugly divorce. One that might see that divorce come at the trade deadline next summer.

Tigers’ Tarik Skubal contract gap could shake up the AL Central in Royals favor

The Tigers know that they are expected to make a run at keeping Skubal for the long term. However, recent reports indicated the two sides are very far apart. Hundreds of millions of dollars apart if the recent talk can be believed.

MLB Insider Jon Heyman believes the Royals rival and the ace pitcher are somewhere in the neighborhood of $259 million apart. That certainly sounds like a gulf that is going to be hard to reduce before the Tigers need to start looking at seeing what they can get for the Cy Young winner, rather than working on how to keep him.

The estimation from Heyman was based on the Tigers' offer after the 2024 season of less than $100 million and the projection that Skubal will command at least $400 million in free agency following the 2026 season.

Knowing that, the gap might be closer to $300 million.

In 2025, Tarik Skubal posted an AL-leading 2.21 ERA across 195.1 innings in 31 starts, seemingly placing him in the driving seat for his second-consecutive Cy Young Award. He turns 29 in late November. All of that equals a generational pitcher who will demand a ton of money.

It seems unlikely the Kansas City Royals' rival can or will match his demands, meaning he's almost certainly on the way out of the AL Central. If the Kauffman denizens can't have him, better their closest competitors don't either.