Tarik Skubal returns to Tigers despite second thoughts with Team USA
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Tarik Skubal is sticking with his original plan for the World Baseball Classic, and Team USA manager Mark DeRosa announced that the 2025 Cy Young Award winner will return to the Detroit Tigers after starting against Great Britain.
Skubal was always supposed to return to the ball club after Team USA’s second game, which defeated Great Britain 9-1 in the group stage in Houston. But after pitching the scheduled inning count in the win, Skubal appeared to be having second thoughts about a one-out appearance.
“I didn’t expect such emotions to pass through my brain or for my thoughts to change,” Skubal told reporters. per ESPN. “I was pretty determined to make a fresh start and get back to camp.
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Team USA’s Tarik Skubal hits the first pitch during the 2026 World Baseball Classic Pool B match presented by Capital One between Team GB and Team USA at Daikin Park on Saturday, March 7, 2026 in Houston, Texas. (Rob Tringali/WBCI/MLB)
“Of course some things have changed. So I’m going to talk a little bit and try to come up with a plan for myself. But yeah, I don’t know either one.”
Skubal made no bones about how much he enjoyed being part of one of the best Team USA rosters ever assembled for the tournament, which includes Cy Young Award winner Paul Skenes, who will take the field Monday night against Mexico. Skubal even stated that he could reunite with Team USA if they leave the pool and travel to Miami for the playoffs.
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“When you get into these environments, when you get this team, it’s hard to walk away from that,” Skubal added.
Detroit Tigers pitcher Tarik Skubal (29) throws his first at-bat against the Chicago White Sox at Comerica Park in Detroit, Michigan, on September 6, 2025. (Rick Osentoski/Imagn Images)
But Skubal, who will be a free agent with the Tigers after this season, has been sticking to his game plan from the start.
The 29-year-old is expected to receive the richest contract for a pitcher in MLB history next winter, expected to be around $500 million. And perhaps knowing that his national teammates understood he would be returning to the Tigers’ facility made his decision easier.
“He has two Cy Young awards, but this guy is about to make half a billion dollars next offseason,” Team USA captain Aaron Judge said, according to USA TODAY. “So for him to risk everything for his country and come here and show up for us. Maybe it’s just one game but you know everything you do is a risk and for him to take that risk and come here and be with us, the kids love it.”
Tarik Skubal of the United States reacts during the World Baseball Classic Pool B game between Great Britain and the United States at Daikin Park on March 7, 2026 in Houston, Texas. (Houston Astros/Getty Images)
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Skubal was awarded an MLB-record $32 million, surpassing the previous arbitration record of New York Mets and current Dominican Republic star Juan Soto.
After a stellar 2024 campaign that resulted in some much-deserved hardware, Skubal followed that up with an AL-leading 2.21 ERA in 195⅓ innings in 31 starts. He also struck out 241 batters, 13 more than his league-leading mark from the previous year.
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