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The Detroit Tigers agreed to a one-year, $10.15M deal with reigning AL Cy Young winner Tarik Skubal, ESPN’s Jeff Passan reports. It’s a massive, nearly 300% raise on top of last year’s $2.65M salary for the 28-year-old, handily topping the $8M projected by MLBTR contributor Matt Swartz. Skubal, who’s under club control through the 2026 season, will be arb-eligible one more time next winter.
Skubal unanimously won American League Cy Young honors after a dominant breakout showing in which he paced the AL in wins (18), ERA (2.39), strikeout rate (30.3%), K-BB% (25.6%) and virtually every form of wins above replacement (6.3 bWAR, 5.9 fWAR, 6.5 RA9-WAR). The left-hander tossed 192 innings, punched out 228 opponents against just 35 walks and held opponents to only 15 homers. Skubal completed at least six innings in 25 of his 31 starts and held opponents to two or fewer runs on 24 of his 31 trips to the bump. He was as consistently dominant an arm as the sport had to offer, registering an ERA no worse than 3.05 in any individual month of the season.
That dominant performance from Skubal played a major role in Detroit’s surprise run to the postseason — and in the team’s upset win over the Astros in the American League Wild Card series. Skubal was flat-out dominant in the first two playoff starts of his career, tossing a combined 13 shutout innings with 14 strikeouts, one walk and just seven hits allowed in gems over Houston and Cleveland. He took the mound for the decisive Game 5 in the intra-division ALDS showdown against the Guardians and cruised through most of his start until being tagged for a backbreaking grand slam off the bat of Guards outfielder Lane Thomas.
It was a sour note on which to end an otherwise storybook season for both player and team, but Skubal has nevertheless entrenched himself among the game’s elite arms. The Tigers and their fan base would surely love to extend the star southpaw, though as a 28-year-old Scott Boars-represented ace who’s just two seasons away from reaching free agency and a potential $200M+ payday, Skubal seems decidedly unlikely to sign a long-term pact.
Looking ahead to the 2025 season, Skubal will front a staff also including Reese Olson and free-agent pickup Alex Cobb. Presumably, top prospect Jackson Jobe, who debuted late in the 2024 campaign, will have the inside track on a job as well, though at just 22 years old and with minimal experience above the Double-A level, he won’t simply be handed the spot. He’ll need to earn it in spring training.
Former No. 1 pick Casey Mize, rebound hopeful Kenta Maeda, right-hander Keider Montero and former first-rounders Matt Manning, Alex Faedo and Ty Madden will all be in the mix for rotation work as well. It’s still plenty feasible, whether by free agency or trade, that the upstart Tigers add to the rotation in a meaningful way between now and Opening Day.
More must-reads:
- Riley Greene is on His Way To Becoming One of the AL’s Elite
- Which MLB players have the most career WAR?
- The 'Cy Young Award winners' quiz
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Dodgers SS Mookie Betts (illness) could miss opener
Los Angeles Dodgers shortstop Mookie Betts is dealing with an illness and it is unclear if he will play in Tuesday's regular-season opener against the Chicago Cubs in Tokyo. Betts missed Saturday's exhibition game against the Yomiuri Giants and will also miss Sunday's exhibition contest against the Hanshin Tigers. Betts was on the long flight from Arizona to Japan despite his illness. "Mookie is here today, but he's been really sick," Dodgers manager Dave Roberts told reporters. "Lost some weight, so we're trying to get him hydrated. He's going to work out a little. ... Then when we have our off day (Monday), our workout day, we'll see how he is." Betts, 32, is entering his sixth season with the Dodgers. He batted . 289 with 19 homers and 75 RBIs in 116 games last season when the Dodgers won the World Series.
NBA Has Launched An Investigation Into The 76ers About Tyrese Maxey, Joel Embiid, And Paul George Missing Games
The Philadelphia 76ers are having an abysmal season and it might be on the verge of getting even worse. Speaking on the Pat McAfee Show, NBA insider Shams Charania revealed the league's ongoing investigation into the team and the absence of Tyrese Maxey, Joel Embiid, and Paul George. "I'm told the Philadelphia 76ers are another team the NBA has started an investigation on and looked into," Charania said on the Pat McAfee Show (6:13 mark). "Just based on, you've had Tyrese Maxey miss time, we know Paul George has missed time." The rise of load management led to a controversial trend of teams sitting their star players for nothing but the sake of injury prevention. The league has been cracking down on this trend by verifying injuries and fining teams who are found to be in violation of the policy. "I think with Philadelphia, it looks a little bit more legitimate, maybe," said Shams. "Because you think about Tyrese Maxey, he's been banged up all year. And Paul George, the five games before the All-Star break in February, I'm told Paul George was playing with pain-killing injections." The Utah Jazz were the NBA's most recent team to get fined, and it happened after they were caught shutting down their star forward, Lauri Markkanen, for the season. The price was just $100,000 but it's a sign that the league is serious about punishing teams for not playing their stars -- even those who have nothing left to play for this season. In Philadelphia, this year's campaign is essentially over. At 22-43, they are 13th in the standings and five games back from the final play-in spot. After signing Paul George last summer, they are hoping to compete for a title in the East, but they've been one of the league's most disappointing teams all season long. With their current situation, it's no surprise that the 76ers have elected to keep their important players out. In their minds, it's better to play a G-League lineup than to needlessly risk an injury that could slow them down in the 2025-26 campaign. It started with Joel Embiid, who has only played 19 games this season. He had not been playing like himself, and the 76ers shut him down due to “ongoing issues with his left knee.” He was averaging 23.8 points, 8.2 rebounds, and 4.5 assists per game on 44% shooting. Paul George is another unfortunate case this season. After signing with the 76ers last summer, he was hoping to help them win a title. Instead, George will likely not play again until October to seek treatment for his groin and knee injuries. The 76ers are expected to try to trade him in the offseason. As the youngest member of the star trio, Tyrese Maxey should be the healthiest one of the bunch. Tonight, he's set to miss his fourth straight game due to a lower back sprain and finger sprain but there are doubts that he's actually unable to play. For a team known to take drastic measures in pursuit of success, it's not beyond the Sixers to rest their star players this season in order to maximize their chances next year. They know as much as anyone that this campaign is a lost cause, but they don't mind paying a penalty if it means getting to avoid unnecessary mileage on the big three.
Former Steelers RB Najee Harris seemingly takes shot at Pittsburgh after arriving in Los Angeles
The Pittsburgh Steelers had to say goodbye to some important players during the 2025 offseason, with one of the most notable individuals being former first-round pick Najee Harris. It became clear that the 2024 season would be the running back's last year with the Steelers after the organization declined his fifth-year option, and he ended up signing with the Los Angeles Chargers during the 2025 offseason. This was a natural landing spot for Harris, as he had a pre-existing relationship with Head Coach Jim Harbaugh and grew up on the West Coast. The back signed a one-year deal in Los Angeles, and he had his introductory press conference on Friday afternoon. The back spoke about his excitement to play for the Chargers, while also reminiscing on his time with Pittsburgh. He got a tour of the facility and was asked about it during his news conference, and the former Steeler was impressed as he compared it to what he had in Pittsburgh. "It's a great weight room first of all." Harris said. "It's all great things. There's a lot of things that they provide here that you can take advantage of. I was just telling them, 'Man, it's not like this everywhere man.' This is a special thing right here. It sort of reminds me of college at Alabama, you know, all the resources that they have. So, just getting the chance to take advantage of all this opportunity is a blessing. I was telling him, 'Y'all got a great thing going on. It's not like this everywhere.'" It is no secret that Pittsburgh's facility is outdated, and that is highlighted by the NFLPA report cards every offseason. The Steelers share a facility with a college team, and their facilities are out-classed by most college programs. Players don't play in Pittsburgh for a glamorous weight room and facility; it is more about the tradition and history of success. As the years go on, more and more players entering the NFL care about the facilities and the kind of resources an organization has, and that makes sense. Players spend a lot of their time there, and everything they need should be in one place. Clearly, this is an area the Steelers need to work on. It is also important to note that the Chargers just finished building this new facility that Harris spoke so highly of. It is a top of the line practice facility called "The Bolt," and it was completed during the 2024 offseason. The building is not even a year old, and it is probably the nicest facility in the league. The Steelers should have the goal of upgrading their facilities in the near future. It is going to start to become more of a draw for free agents as the years go on, so it would be better to get a head start now. Steelers' own players even believe facilities need to improve Every season the NFLPA surveys players on various aspects of their organizations. This includes coaching, ownership, team travel, the food, and the facilities that are used. The coaching aspect of these report cards is usually good for the Steelers, while the ownership and facilities sections are fairly rough. Pittsburgh's report card going into 2025 was pretty bleak, as the Steelers received a D for their locker room, a C+ for their training room, a C+ for their weight room, and a D in ownership. Art Rooney II can get his ownership grade up if he simply decides to invest some money into the facility to make players' everyday life a bit more enjoyable. Athletes need essential tools and equipment to recover on a day-to-day basis, and making sure things like that are taken care of should be a top priority moving forward.
Browns insider predicts trade with Giants, stunning QB move
The Cleveland Browns possess the second overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft. They are likely hoping that Miami's Cam Ward, the "consensus" No. 1 quarterback in this year's class, remains available after the Tennessee Titans make their selection with the first overall pick. However, Browns insider Tony Grossi of ESPN Cleveland/The Land on Demand and NFL reporter Darryl Slater of NJ Advance Media for NJ.com believe the Titans will take Ward with the draft's top pick. Thus, Grossi predicted in his latest mock draft that the Browns will trade their No. 2 selection to the New York Giants for pick No. 3 and choice No. 65 this year, along with a 2026 third-round pick. Grossi thinks this could result in the Giants taking Colorado quarterback Shedeur Sanders at No. 2 and the Browns landing Ole Miss signal-caller Jaxson Dart with the third pick. Following the NFL Scouting Combine, some speculated that the Browns could select Sanders with the second pick and that the Giants would "reach" for Dart at No. 3. Sanders has been linked with the Giants since at least December. Still, numerous reports revealed that some teams don't view him as a first-round prospect after he allegedly "hit the wrong notes in combine interviews." Perhaps there's reason to believe the Browns are one of those clubs. The Giants and Browns continued to be mentioned as potential landing spots for veteran quarterbacks such as Aaron Rodgers, Russell Wilson and Kirk Cousins, even though the Atlanta Falcons just made a huge decision on Cousins. For what it's worth, Grossi isn't the only writer who is predicting the Giants end up with a quarterback not named Rodgers or Wilson. Grossi wrote that "signing either Cousins or Wilson might be the clearest signal yet of the Browns taking a position player other than quarterback with their first pick," and ESPN's Field Yates thinks Cleveland could draft Colorado wide receiver/cornerback Travis Hunter over both Sanders and Dart. Interestingly, Dart's supposed rise in draft stock has coincided with Sanders sliding down the board in mock drafts. It's difficult to know what to believe during the draft process's "smokescreen season," but it's worth noting that NFL insider Connor Hughes of SNY shared on March 5 that at least "one team source" had Dart ranked ahead of Sanders following the combine. It remains to be seen if the Browns or Giants would be bold enough to select Dart over Sanders with the second pick in the draft.
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