Tigers&#39; Tarik Skubal gets bold prediction that would make for ultimate contract year

Tigers' Tarik Skubal gets bold prediction that would make for ultimate contract year originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

The Detroit Tigers have decided to keep Tarik Skubal atop their rotation, and they're planning to go all-in for the 2026 season in his final year with the team.

He's making $32 million, but in the final year of his contract, he's set to make well north of that figure in free agency. He might land the biggest contract of any pitcher ever.

MLB.com's Brent Maguire made a bold prediction on Skubal, with the Cy Young lefty recording 300 strikeouts, which would be the ultimate contract year across every major sport.

Tigers' Tarik Skubal gets bold 300 strikeout prediction

"Skubal punches out 300 hitters," Maguire predicts. "Considering what's at stake for Skubal and the Tigers this season, it's not hard to envision the lefty pushing upwards of 200 innings."

The 2026 season is a huge one for the Tigers and Skubal. For the lefty, this is his contract year, where a good performance can result in generational wealth.

For the Tigers, this is their final year with Skubal. They will want to get the most out of their Cy Young ace, especially since they will have a tough time retaining him next offseason.

With that in mind, Skubal will be given plenty of chances to stay in games as the Tigers hope to get the most out of him. And with Skubal, if he can not just pitch at a high level, but eat a ton of innings in the process, it would be a huge boost for his free agent stock.

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This past season, he reached 241 strikeouts in 195.1 innings pitched. In 2024, across 192 innings, he had 228 strikeouts.

If he can pitch well more than 200 innings this season, and also keep his strikeout rate per-nine innings rate above 11.0, then his odds to reach 300 strikeouts would increase.

But it's still not going to be easy. Not only does he have to pitch at an elite level all year, but he needs to pitch more than he ever has in his career.

If he can make 33 starts and go a bit deeper into games while striking out a lot of batters, he could do it. Maguire's prediction is a bold one for a reason. It's not very reachable.

But Skubal has the talent to do it. If he does record 300 strikeouts in 2026, not only would he likely win AL Cy Young for a third-straight year, but he would've had one of the best contract years ever across every professional sport.

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