Tarik $kubal, history-making arbitration winner. Plus: Remembering Terrance Gore’s unique career

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Tarik Skubal’s arbitration hearing went about how we expected. Plus: an Astros three-way trade that didn’t happen, an appreciation of Terrance Gore’s unique career and *general spring blooming sound*. I’m Levi Weaver, here with Ken Rosenthal. Welcome to The Windup!

Arbitration Decision: Skubal’s record-breaking payday

The writing was on the wall in 3,200-point font: Unless the league and union had somehow hired a panel of arbiters named, like, Skinflint McUnionbuster, Skubal was always going to win.

And he did. Skubal was awarded a $32 million salary in 2026 — setting the record for the highest pitcher arbitration salary.

I mean, c’mon. Was the back-to-back Cy Young award winner going to be paid $19 million — less than David Price’s previous arbitration record of $19.75 million? That record was set in 2015, when the highest-paid player in baseball was Clayton Kershaw ($31 million a year). A Baker’s Decade later, that player is (depending on how you view deferrals) Shohei Ohtani (technically $70 million) or Kyle Tucker ($60 million).

In the 2026 economy of baseball, $31 million will get you one (1) Pete Alonso. So yeah, it makes sense that the arbiters sided with Skubal’s number ($32 million).

It was always baffling to me that the Tigers didn’t file at a non-ridiculous number. $25 million? $27.25 million to say, “Hey, we think you’re at least as good as Max Fried?”

As Cody Stavenhagen reports, at least things didn’t get personal during the hearing. That’s often the case, so credit to the Tigers for not following one baffling decision with another.

Now over to Ken for how the league and team picked a (confusing) fight, and lost.

Ken’s Notebook: Payday payback

Skubal, a member of the union’s executive board, was the perfect player to test the boundaries of the system. He is headed toward a potential $400 million contract in free agency. And even if he had lost his case, his raise would have been $8.85 million. The question, though, remains: Why didn’t the league take a more defensible position and recommend the Tigers offer Skubal a salary that better reflected the pitcher’s achievements?

If the Tigers’ filing number had been closer to the eventual midpoint in this case — $25.5 million — they would not have looked as patronizing. And they might have actually won.

But no. The league views arbitration as an impersonal exercise, with little regard for a player’s stature or the impact of its data-driven approach on a team’s culture.

In 2019, The Athletic reported that the league would present a $20 championship belt to the club that did the most to keep salaries down in arbitration. The league has since abandoned the practice, but continues to pressure teams to hold the line.

It’s debatable how many future pitchers Skubal’s triumph will help in arbitration, assuming the process even remains intact in the next collective bargaining agreement (it could disappear or be significantly altered under a salary cap). Skubal is a unicorn, and Paul Skenes is the only other current pitcher who might match or exceed his statistical profile as a five-plus player.

No matter. For Skubal and his agent Scott Boras, this was about making a point. By relying on years-old precedents in refusing to acknowledge Skubal’s dominance, the league and Tigers fought a losing battle. They asked for trouble. And they got what they deserved.

Back to you, Levi.

Surreal Stats: An appreciation of the late Terrance Gore’s unique career

Last year, I had a half-baked idea to write about players with more career steals than hits. Terrance Gore was the impetus; he finished his career with 43 stolen bases and only reached base 26 times (16 hits, seven walks, three hit-by-pitch).

• Gore is a three-time World Series champion with the 2015 Royals, 2020 Dodgers and 2021 Braves, despite not playing in a single regular-season game that year.
• Gore’s career was a cornucopia of more-this-than-thats. More World Series rings (3) than home runs (0) or RBIs (1). More postseason steals (5) than plate appearance (2).

Gore passed away this weekend at just 34 years old. We don’t know the cause of death, just that he died during a routine medical procedure.

Gore (5-7, 160 pounds) was part of a small historical lineage of one-tool (speed) players. Perhaps the most famous example was Herb Washington, who earned his teammates’ respect as a member of the Oakland A’s in the 1970s. Washington scored 33 runs and stole 31 bases, despite never logging a single plate appearance.

If you’re curious, here’s the rest of that more-steals-than-hits list:

Of note: the non-Gore contingency? Four World Series rings. That’s seven total, from seven players.

Andy McCullough covered Gore with the Royals and wrote about how he embraced his role to become a three-time World Series champion here.

Questions: Pitchers and catchers report to spring training

If I may peek out from behind the fourth wall … Baseball is just such a long season. From “pitchers and catchers report” to “the Dodgers are champions yet again,” we’re looking at roughly nine months. Between reporting on the hot stove and catching up with folks at the Winter Meetings, winter is my time to hibernate.

But every spring, there’s something that wakes me up. Sometimes it happens mid-spring training. Other years, it’s Opening Day. This year, it happened early, and I have Jim Bowden to thank. Here are the eight storylines he’s most interested in, as pitchers and catchers report to spring training this week. Some of the items on his list — the ABS challenge system, Tony Vitello managing in the big leagues for the first time and the new-look Mets — are on my list, too. But here are two I’d add:

Who has the best starting rotation in baseball?

With respect to the Skubal-and-Valdez Tigers, depth matters. And the Phillies, Dodgers, Red Sox (the depthiest of the rotations, imo), Blue Jays and Reds (yes, the Reds) can all make a claim that their rotations, one through five (or in some cases, six) are the best in the game.

But here’s my official nomination: the Mariners. They had a down year from some of their pitchers last year, but still boast Bryan Woo, Logan Gilbert, Luis Castillo, George Kirby and Bryce Miller as their front five. That’s (still) nasty, and I expect a bit of bounce-back from that crew in 2026.

Will the White Sox and Pirates be not terrible this year?

Both teams had interesting winters. Chicago’s biggest splash was signing Japanese super-slugging corner infielder Munetaka Murakami, but they also added Jordan Hicks, Austin Hays, Seranthony Domínguez and — in a trade for Luis Robert Jr. — Luisangel Acuña this winter. Also, I just learned, Jarred Kelenic is in camp on a minor-league deal. Huh!

Is that enough to not be bad? No, and I’m surprised you asked that question. But … “maybe not 100 losses?” Sure! Maybe!

Meanwhile, the Pirates did More Than The Bare Minimum™️ this winter, a course correction from previous years. Additions include: Ryan O’Hearn, Brandon Lowe, Gregory Soto and Marcell Ozuna. Also, Konnor Griffin (who turns 20 in April) is Keith Law’s No. 1 prospect in the sport, and could be in the big leagues soon.

No, the Pirates are not a playoff team, and please stop asking me these questions. But will they have a winning record for the first time since 2015? Also probably not! It was just interesting to me!

Handshakes and High Fives

WBC news: With the final squads announced, Johnny Flores has the rundown on this year’s rosters. Meanwhile, Javy Báez was suspended from this year’s tournament due to a positive marijuana test in 2023.

Yasiel Puig was found guilty of obstruction of justice. The max sentence is 20 years, but we don’t know how long he’ll serve yet.

Are sports cards in a second “junk wax” era?

Most-clicked in our last newsletter: Ken’s story on the awkwardness between the Pirates and Andrew McCutchen.

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