Detroit, MI
Detroit Tigers’ Scott Harris explains why team isn’t ready to spend big on roster yet
Detroit Tigers’ Scott Harris: ‘This is a talented group’
Detroit Tigers president of baseball operations Scott Harris talks to reporters February 14, 2024, at Joker Marchant Stadium in Lakeland, Florida.
The Detroit Tigers aren’t going to increase payroll before building the foundation.
That’s exactly what Tigers president of baseball operations Scott Harris said Tuesday afternoon on MLB Network in an 8-minute conversation with studio host Brian Kenny.
On MLB Network, Kenny asked Harris if the Tigers plan to spend like they used to. The Tigers had a top-six payroll in MLB for six seasons in a row, according to Spotrac, from 2012-17 under late owner Mike Ilitch, peaking at $200.2 million in 2016.
Harris believes Tigers owner Christopher Ilitch, Mike’s son, will increase payroll in the future, though he didn’t reveal a timeline.
“From the moment I got here, Chris Ilitch said that we would have the resources we need to build a really competitive club and to build a club that can sustain winning over a long period of time,” Harris said on MLB Network, when asked if payroll will increase. “We’re not quite there yet as far as spending at that level because we need to build the foundation of this team to put us in a position to supplement it with free agent signings in the upcoming winters.
WHAT SCOTT SAID IN SPRING: Tigers’ Scott Harris explains why he didn’t add more offense in offseason
“I have confidence that the resources will be there. The Ilitch family has always supported the Tigers, and they are ready and eager to do it. I’m actually sitting in the world headquarters for Little Caesars because we have scouting meetings across the street at Little Caesars. I’m confident that the resources will be there. We just have to develop the core that we’re going to spend around, and we also have to target the players in upcoming winters that can really help us.”
The Tigers’ payroll ranks 23rd in the 2024 season, at $106.5 million, nearly $60 million lower than the average of all 30 teams. Javier Báez, a struggling shortstop signed to a six-year, $140 million contract by former general manager Al Avila, is making $25 million, which equates to 23.5% of the total payroll this season.
The Tigers ranked 20th in payroll last season, at $121.5 million.
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It’s unclear if the Tigers are close to completing the foundation, and therefore, it’s unclear if the Tigers are close to spending big like Harris believes will happen at some point.
Former No. 1 overall picks Spencer Torkelson and Casey Mize — drafted and developed by the Avila regime — aren’t performing like franchise cornerstone players, while former No. 5 overall pick Riley Greene is a streaky hitter for the third season in a row. Colt Keith, who inked a club-friendly contract extension before his first game, is starting to settle in as a rookie. Late-round picks Tarik Skubal and Kerry Carpenter have been steady studs, along with Reese Olson, but Skubal — an American League Cy Young candidate — is going to become a free agent after the 2026 season.
“We’re a young team that’s still finding our way,” Harris said of the 2024 Tigers, currently at 26-27 overall and in fourth place in the American League Central. “We’ve shown some flashes of some really exciting play on both sides of the ball. I think we’re searching for that consistency that comes with maturation of young hitters and young starting pitchers in the big leagues. With youth often comes variance, and I think we’re living week to week here, but we’ve seen a lot of positive signs under the hood and some of those are translating to performance in recent weeks.”
YOUNGSTER: Tigers rookie Colt Keith hits first home run of MLB career. It wasn’t a fluke
The Tigers only have two more full seasons of Skubal.
If the window isn’t open now, when will it open?
Jackson Jobe, a 21-year-old elite pitching prospect, isn’t close to getting out of Double-A Erie and seems more likely to make his MLB debut in 2025. Max Clark, a 19-year-old center fielder whom Harris selected No. 3 overall in the 2023 draft, is down in Low-A Lakeland playing alongside 19-year-old shortstop Kevin McGonigle, the No. 37 overall pick in 2023.
The bad Báez contract comes off the books after the 2027 season. After this year, Báez is owed $25 million in 2025, $24 million in 2026 and $24 million in 2027.
Contact Evan Petzold at epetzold@freepress.com or follow him @EvanPetzold.
Listen to our weekly Tigers show “Days of Roar” every Monday afternoon on demand at freep.com, Apple, Spotify or wherever you listen to podcasts. And catch all of our podcasts and daily voice briefing at freep.com/podcasts.
Detroit, MI
Vigil, protest held for Renee Nicole Good at Detroit’s Clark park
Vigil held in Detroit for woman fatally shot by ICE agent in Minnesota
People gather at Detroit’s Clark Park on Friday, Jan. 9, 2026 to host a vigil for Renee Good, who was fatally shot by an ICE agent in Minneapolis.
The name Renee Nicole Good bounced off the buildings of southwest Detroit as hundreds marched on the evening of Friday, Jan. 9, following Good’s fatal shooting by an immigration agent in Minneapolis earlier in the week.
A candlelight vigil was held at 6 p.m. at the city’s Clark Park in memory of Good, before attendees took off marching down Vernor Highway.
As of 7:30 p.m., the mass crowd had reached Cavalry Street, about half a mile away from the park, and turned, yelling “What do we want? Justice ” and calling for ICE’s ousting from communities.
Good, 37, was in her car when she was shot in the head on Wednesday, Jan.7, by a federal immigration officer in south Minneapolis. She leaves behind three children, ages 6, 12 and 15.
The shooting was recorded by witnesses and heightened political and community tensions over federal immigration enforcement as part of President Donald Trump’s nationwide immigration operations. The Trump administration has since said the shooting was done in self-defense, USA TODAY reports.
Protests have occurred in cities across the U.S. since Good’s death, including gatherings in Michigan, and additional demonstrations are scheduled throughout the weekend.
This is a developing story.
Detroit, MI
Debating Mike McDaniel’s fit for Detroit Lions OC job
But we also can’t ignore the drastic fall-off from the Dolphins’ offense. Partially because of injuries to Tua Tagovailoa and Tyreek Hill over the past two seasons, the Dolphins have finished 22nd and 25th in scoring offense in 2024 and 2025, respectively. Injuries can be used as an excuse, but the greatest coordinators find a way through the adversity.
Beyond that, there are questions about his philosophical and schematic fit. While the Lions have built their offenses on grit and physicality, McDaniel seems to favor speed and finesse. But maybe that’s exactly what the Lions need. Detroit has two speedy players in Jameson Williams and Jahmyr Gibbs, who could probably be utilized more creatively, and it’s hard to imagine anyone better than McDaniel to do so.
McDaniel also has a very long coaching history with a lot of different coaching influences and schemes—including his closest coaching guru: Kyle Shanahan. The 49ers head coach has a scheme that is both more congruent with what the Lions do and much more adaptable.
On this EMERGENCY PODCAST, our crew debates the fit of McDaniel in Detroit, along with our thoughts on the Lions’ other known candidate: Commanders quarterbacks coach David Blough.
Before that, Erik Schlitt, Ryan Mathews, and I discuss our biggest takeaways from Lions general manager Brad Holmes’ end-of-season press conference, including the future of David Montgomery, whether Holmes really took accountability for his mistakes, and our confidence in him moving forward.
You can catch our discussion in the embedded podcast below or on any podcasting platform you’d prefer. Just search “Pride of Detroit.”
You can also catch video of the show over on our YouTube pages. Here are the links:
Detroit, MI
Tarik Skubal, Tigers can’t agree on 2026 salary. Here’s what happens
Will Tigers trade Tarik Skubal before free agency? MLB insider speaks
USA TODAY Sports baseball insider Bob Nightengale joins “Days of Roar” podcast to answer several questions about Detroit Tigers left-hander Tarik Skubal, who can become a free agent after the 2026 season.
The Detroit Tigers and left-hander Tarik Skubal did not agree to terms on a one-year contract for the 2026 season before the 8 p.m. deadline Thursday, Jan. 8, to exchange salary figures in the arbitration process.
Skubal filed at $32 million; the Tigers filed at $19 million.
It’s a difference of $13 million.
An arbitration panel will review the case during a hearing scheduled for late January or early to mid-February. The arbitrators must determine whether Skubal is worth more or less than the $25.5 million midpoint. If he’s worth more, they will select his $32 million proposal; if less, they will select the Tigers’ $19 million proposal. The panel isn’t allowed to choose a salary in between $19 million and $32 million.
The Tigers operate as a file-and-trial club in salary arbitration under president of baseball operations Scott Harris, meaning there won’t be further negotiations with Skubal regarding a one-year contract. A multi-year contract could still be negotiated, but it’s highly unlikely.
Skubal – represented by agent Scott Boras – reaches free agency after the 2026 season. The 29-year-old is positioned to become the first pitcher in MLB history to receive a $400 million contract.
If the two sides were to reach an agreement before a hearing, it would likely be a one-year contract with a player option, thus maintaining Skubal’s path to free agency in the 2026-27 offseason.
The reigning back-to-back American League Cy Young winner was projected by MLB Trade Rumors to receive $17.8 million in his third and final year of salary arbitration. He previously earned $2.65 million in 2024, then $10.15 million in 2025.
Why couldn’t the Tigers and Skubal agree on a salary for 2026?
The arbitration case for Skubal is unusually complex, thanks to a rarely used provision highlighted by ESPN’s Jeff Passan. Because Skubal has more than five years of MLB service time, he isn’t limited to comparing himself only to past arbitration-eligible players. Instead, he can compare himself to any player in baseball.
Those unique rights allow Skubal – who has five years, 114 days of service time – to point to MLB’s highest-paid pitchers (such as Max Scherzer’s $43.3 million per year from 2022-24 or Zack Wheeler’s $42 million per year from 2025-27), arguing that his elite performance warrants a salary in that range – not in the $17.8 million range, as projected by MLB Trade Rumors.
That’s what pushed the Tigers and Skubal to an arbitration hearing.
[ MUST LISTEN: Make “Days of Roar” your go-to Tigers podcast, available anywhere you listen to podcasts (Apple, Spotify) ]
The current record for the largest one-year arbitration contract belongs to outfielder Juan Soto, who agreed to $31 million with the New York Yankees for the 2024 season.
If Skubal wins the arbitration hearing, he will surpass Soto and claim the new record with his proposed $32 million salary. If Skubal loses, then he will earn the $19 million salary proposed by the Tigers.
There are two other arbitration records on the line.
The highest-paid arbitration-eligible pitcher belongs to right-hander David Price, who earned $19.75 million with the Tigers in 2015 – his fourth year in the arbitration process as a Super Two qualifier. The largest raise for an arbitration-eligible pitcher belongs to right-hander Jacob deGrom, who surged from $7.4 million to $17 million – an increase of $9.6 million – with the New York Mets in 2019.
Those records for pitchers will belong to Skubal – but only if his proposed $32 million salary is selected by the arbitration panel. He will fall just short of the records if the panel selects the Tigers’ proposed $19 million.
Skubal is the best pitcher in baseball.
More notably, he is on a Hall of Fame trajectory.
In 2025, Skubal registered a 2.21 ERA with 33 walks (4.4% walk rate) and 241 strikeouts (32.2% strikeout rate) across 195⅓ innings in 31 starts. He made the All-Star Game for the second time in his six-year MLB career.
Skubal became the first back-to-back AL Cy Young winner since right-hander Pedro Martínez in 1999-2000, leading the AL with a 2.39 ERA in 2024 and a 2.21 ERA in 2025.
The Tigers haven’t been to an arbitration hearing since right-hander Michael Fulmer in 2019.
Fulmer lost the case, receiving the Tigers’ proposed $2.8 million salary rather than his requested $3.4 million. Before that hearing, the Tigers hadn’t participated in an arbitration hearing since 2001 – and the Tigers haven’t lost a case since 2000.
Contact Evan Petzold at epetzold@freepress.com or follow him @EvanPetzold.
Listen to our weekly Tigers show “Days of Roar” every Monday afternoon during the season and Tuesday afternoon during the offseason on Apple, Spotify or wherever you listen to podcasts.
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