Arguably the best starting pitcher in Major League Baseball, back-to-back American League Cy Young Award winner Tarik Skubal and the Detroit Tigers are going to a salary arbitration hearing to determine the southpaw's 2026 salary.

What's the issue? What does this mean? Here's how the process works.

Skubal, who's a free agent after the 2026 MLB season, and the Tigers can't agree to a salary for the 2026 season and are subsequently going to a salary arbitration meeting on Wednesday, Feb. 4. Detroit is reportedly offering $19 million, while Skubal seeks a record $32 million. The star lefty made $10.15 million in 2025, which itself was a significant raise from 2024's $2.65 million salary thanks to winning his first of two Cy Young awards.

It's a process deployed in the MLB offseason to determine salaries for select players in the upcoming season. It takes place when a player and team can't agree to a salary, with the mandated hearing typically scheduled for February and brought in front of a three-person panel of arbitrators. Those individuals decide whether to accept the player or team salary proposal. 

[The Big Picture: Why the Skubal-Tigers Salary Standoff Could Make MLB History]

The Tigers are a "trial and file" team, meaning they go through the full arbitration process if the two sides can't agree on a figure by the filing deadline rather than settle beforehand.

An individual has one year of service time under their belt at the MLB level after 172 days in a given year. Then, once a player reaches three years of service time, they're eligible for arbitration, so long as they haven't already signed a contract for the ensuing season. Once a player has reached his arbitration years, they are eligible for this process until they reach free agency.

Juan Soto made $31 million with the New York Yankees in 2024 before hitting free agency the following offseason, making Skubal's $32 million filing a potential record not just for pitchers, but for any arbitration salary.