Tarik Skubal heads the list of Detroit players arbitration eligible this winter.
The Detroit Tigers head into the 2024-25 off season without a single player scheduled to depart via free agency, no third or fourth time arbitration eligible players, and a payroll around $75 million for the major league roster. In short, they have plenty of youth and room to add players both on the field and in the budget.
MLB trade rumors publishes salary projections for each player in Major League Baseball who is eligible for arbitration, and posts them on their website every year after the season is over. Eleven players in the Detroit Tigers ’ organization will be eligible for arbitration this off season according to MLBTR, and their salary projections are shown in the chart below.
The biggest beneficiary on the list is, of course, probable Cy Young winner Tarik Skubal, who is eligible for arbitration for the second time. His salary will increase from $2.67 million earned in 2024 to a projected $8 million for the 2025 season. He will also be eligible for arbitration in 2026 before being eligible for free agency.
Players who have accrued three years of major league service time as well as players with between two and three years who rank in the top 22 percent of that group, provided they spent at least 86 days in the majors this past season, are eligible for arbitration. The cutoff for these “super two” players this off season is estimated to be two years, 132 days, written as 2.132 service time.
Arbitration Eligible
Here are the Tigers’ arbitration eligible players and their salary projections, according to MLBTR
Now, while Lange and Baddoo are included on MLBTR’s list, my math says that neither of them has accrued the 3.003 years of service time indicated by MLBTR. I believe that the correct number is 2.169 for both, which is three days short of being eligible. So we will run the scenarios both ways.
Four players, Tarik Skubal, Casey Mize, Jake Rogers, and Akil Baddoo would be eligible for arbitration for the second time. There are seven players who will be eligible for arbitration the first time, according to MLBTR. There are no players eligible for arbitration for the third or fourth time this winter.
Mize settled to avoid arbitration last season by agreeing to a contract for $830,000 for 2024 with a team option for 2025 at $3.1 million. That option will surely be bought out for $10,000 and he will be eligible for arbitration a second time.
As of the end of the 2024 season, 26 of the players on the Tigers 40 man roster are scheduled to earn at or near the major league minimum salary for the 2025 season.
The Tigers’ first time arbitration eligible players include Jason Foley, Andy Ibanez, Matt Vierling, Zack McKinstry, Will Vest, Beau Brieske and Alex Lange. McKinstry is also out of options.
Alex Lange and Akil Baddoo
Alex Lange sputtered early, was optioned on May 23, and spent much of the season in the minors, but just enough to reach the three year mark in the majors, according to MLBTR’s calculations. My math says he spent 57 days in Detroit, and would have a total of 2.169 service time, three days shy of 3 seasons. He would not have qualified for super two status because he did not spend at least 86 days- half the season- in the major leagues this past season. If he is arbitration eligible, he would be a strong non tender candidate.
Akil Baddoo would eligible for arbitration for the second time if he had accrued the 3.003 years service time. He settled for a contract that paid him $1.55 million in 2024, and is another good candidate to be non tendered this winter, having lost his big league job. His projected salary increase is only $45,000 for 2025.
Even if Akil is not eligible, the club would have to “renew” his contract at minimum 80 percent of his 2024 salary while in the major leagues. He could be paid minor league salary if he is optioned. If he is arbitration eligible, and the club tenders him a contract, even with a 20% pay cut, his salary becomes guaranteed if he accepts the offer and settles without an arbitration hearing.
Close but not quite
Spencer Torkelson would have been eligible as a super two if he had remained in the major leagues for the full season, but he was optioned for more than six weeks, and did not accrue enough service time.
Matt Manning would also have been arbitration eligible with more time in the major leagues in 2024, but he accrued just 14 days of service time, which will be added to his 2.098 (two years and 98 days) previously accrued.
No Free Agents?
The Tigers have no players on their major league roster who are eligible to leave via free agency this off season, and no players who are eligible for arbitration who could leave via free agency after the 2025 season, either. Detroit’s roster is that stacked with young talent.
The club avoided free agency with four players by trading them in July before the trade deadline. Jack Flaherty, Mark Canha, Andrew Chafin and Carson Kelly were dealt for prospects. Gio Urshela and Shelby Miller were let go without compensation. In those moves, the Tigers shed six of their ten highest salaries, five of them being over 30 years old. That leaves just three players, Kenta Maeda (36), Andy Ibanez (31) and Javier Baez (31) on the roster who are over age 30.
Team Option Decisions
The Tigers had a couple of club options that need to be exercised or declined within five days after the World Series is over. One was Shelby Miller, who had a club option for $4.25 million for the 2025 season, with a $250,000 buyout. With his release, the buyout becomes automatic since he was not claimed on waivers. The other is Casey Mize, who will have his $3.1M option declined for the $10K buyout, in favor of arbitration.
Andrew Chafin, who was traded to the Texas Rangers in July, also has a club option for $6.5 million, with a $500,000 buyout for the 2025 season. That will now be the Rangers’ call.
Out of Options
Only two players on the Tigers’ 40 man roster are out of options in 2025, meaning that they would have to clear waivers before being sent to the minor leagues.
Zack McKinstry made the team on opening day and stayed on the roster all season, logging 324 plate appearances and playing all over the infield and the outfield. The product of Central Michigan University will see a modest raise in arbitration as a part time player.
Bligh Madris burned his third and final option in 2024. He was called up during the time that Spencer Torkelson was sent to Toledo and optioned back when Tork was recalled.
Players with five years of MLB service time can not be optioned without their consent- and the Tigers have just two of those players, Baez and Maeda.
Alex Faedo had one option remaining at the start of the season. He missed several weeks of the season on the injured list and finished the season on the 60 day IL. Still, he accrued a full season of service time, so his fourth option will expire. He is at least another year away from arbitration. The former first round draft pick out of Florida was selected 18th overall in the 2017 draft.
Payroll Summary
The Tigers had a projected opening day payroll of $91.5 million for the major league roster, according to Cot’s Contracts , for the 2024 season. That ranked 26th among major league teams. The projected payroll for CBT (luxury tax) purposes was $107 million, which ranked 28th of the 30 MLB teams.
After trades and acquisitions during the season, they finish with a projected payroll of $91.6 million for the full 40 man roster, which includes minor league salaries for 14 players, pay for those who have been released, injured players who were replaced, etc.
The 26 man payroll for the 2024 playoff roster, which does not include Javier Baez or Kenta Maeda, comes to a grand total of $18.86 million. Of course, the Tigers’ actuall payroll is much higher because they have to pay players on the IL and those on optional assignment to the minors, plus about $18 million in benefits. Colt Keith was the highest paid Tiger on the playoff roster at $2,833,333. He is due for a raise of $1 million in 2025.
After subtracting the players who have been traded, adding the projected arbitration increases, excluding Lange and Baddoo, and filling out the roster with players earning the major league minimum salary, payroll is due to check in under $75 million for the 26 man roster. Baez and Maeda account for $35 million of that. Of course, that is just the starting point, subject to change with free agent signings, trades, and roster juggling over the winter.
All added up, the Tigers 26 man roster currently could have:
- 3 players under major league contracts for 2025 in Báez, Maeda and Colt Keith
- 9 to 11 players who are eligible for arbitration; 3 or 4 for the second time and 6 or 7 for the first time.
- 12 to 14 players earning at or near the major league minimum salary of $760,000
- The total increase in salaries for the eleven players is just under $14 million, if they’re all eligible and tendered contracts
- The team unloaded $37.75 million in contracts in July and August this season, basically trading or releasing every free agent that they signed last off season except for Maeda.
- No players eligible for arbitration for the third or fourth time this off season
- No players who will be free agents after the 2024 season due to expiring contracts
- No arbitration eligible players who will be free agents after the 2025 season
That should leave plenty of money available to fill out the rotation and the lineup, regardless of what happens with the local TV contract with Bally Sports.