The Detroit Tigers have $32 million reasons to motivate pitcher Tarik Skubal.
The two-time Cy Young winner won his arbitration hearing with the Tigers earlier this week and was awarded the biggest salary in the history of MLB arbitration. It was a victory for Skubal, who was only offered $19 million by the Tigers in January. It was also a potential long-term victory for players like him who tend to lose during the arbitration process, no matter their success.
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Sometimes, that kind of money can present a problem for managers like A.J. Hinch. Part of a manager’s job is to learn how best to motivate his players. It’s not always about money.
Fortunately, Hinch knows exactly what motivates his star pitcher.
“He needs feedback,” Hinch said to Foul Territory recently. “You can’t B.S. this dude.”
A.J. Hinch on Motivating Tarik Skubal
“He wants you to punch him in the face and tell him that he stunk that day.”
AJ Hinch says Tarik Skubal’s biggest motivator is feedback. 😤 pic.twitter.com/UmbCDdmwsj
— Foul Territory (@FoulTerritoryTV) February 7, 2026
The perfect relationship between a manager and a star pitcher is open dialogue, and Hinch made clear that he and the left-hander can talk about anything. He also said that he and his staff can be blunt with Skubal and even challenge him, especially after those starts that don’t necessarily go his way.
“Like two or three times a year where he’s just not quite feeling it or not quite punching out the world or whatever, he wants you to kind of punch him in the face and tell him that he’s stunk that day,” he said. “Or you didn’t like the way he did this. So, motivating him is hitting him dead straight with the information that you have.”
Fortunately, those bad starts are few and far between for the former Seattle University star who is expected to be the top free agent in baseball after this season. The recent signing of Framber Valdez indicates that the Tigers are loading up to try and make a run at their first World Series in more than a decade.
To do it, Detroit will need Skubal to deliver another great season.
The left-hander has been brilliant the past two seasons. In 2024 he went 18-4 with a 2.39 ERA and 228 strikeouts as he won the American League pitching triple crown. That helped him win his first Cy Young and finish seventh in AL MVP voting.
Last year his won-loss record wasn’t quite as good, as he went 13-6. But he bettered his 2024 season other respects, including a 2.21 ERA and 241 strikeouts. He won his second Cy Young and finished fifth in AL MVP voting.
He became the 12th pitcher in Major League history to win back-to-back Cy Young awards and the second Tigers player to do it. Denny McLain won the award in 1968 and 1969.
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