Detroit pitcher Tarik Skubal has won two consecutive Cy Young awards and has been critical to the Tigers' recent success.
So why are the Tigers and their ace so far apart on what Skubal is worth as he heads into the last year of his contract?
Michigan Public sports commentator John U. Bacon joined Morning Edition host Doug Tribou to look at that question. Bacon also discussed the Red Wings' hopes for a strong finish in the second half of the season; a misstep by the Michigan men's basketball team; and the upcoming College Football Playoff championship game.
Doug Tribou: Detroit pitcher Tarik Skubal and the Tigers are in Major League Baseball's arbitration process right now. The two-time Cy Young Award winner is entering the final year of his contract. He's asking for $32 million for that year. The Tigers are offering $19 million.
That gap is the biggest in MLB arbitration history. It led former major league star Josh Donaldson to refer to the Tigers as a "trash organization."
Where do you see all this heading, John?
John U. Bacon: To disaster for the Tigers. They are going out of their way to screw this up. Now look, with the caveat being: who gets $32 million to throw a baseball? The whole thing is crazy. We know that. But that is actually the marketplace. And they've got one year on their contract left for Skubal this season. And that's supposed to be the good-vibes season to try to get him to stay for a long-term contract after that, possibly for a little less money than other teams.
When other players who have got no dog in this fight are getting involved in this conversation, telling you how much they're screwing up, they're screwing up. And it should be noted, the Ilitch family? They're the third richest baseball owner family out of 30 baseball owners. And they're being unbelievably cheap on the best pitcher in the major leagues.
DT: Another team owned by the Ilitch family, the Red Wings, are more than halfway through their season and are right near the top of the NHL Eastern Conference. What stands out to you about their performance so far?
JUB: After losing a game, four times they lost another game, and nine times they won the next game. In other words, they're very good at not getting on losing streaks. But keep in mind, the test for this team is not the first half of the season. The test for this team is the second half when you get tired and the season starts dragging on. So far, so good.
"They are going out of their way to screw this up."John U. Bacon on the Detroit Tigers' handling of contract negotiations with pitcher Tarik Skubal
DT: The Michigan men's basketball team is no longer undefeated. The Wolverines lost to the unranked Wisconsin Badgers last weekend. Head coach Dusty May had some thoughts on why they slipped. What did you make of his assessment, John?
JUB: Well, he's a very smart coach. He said, basically, you cannot have two levels of intensity. You can't come to play for the first ten minutes and then take the next 30 minutes off. That's how you almost lose to Penn State last week, and lose last week to Wisconsin, the first loss of the season. But they came back strong against Washington.
And it all brings us back, of course, to Steve Martin whom I quoted last week. Doug, you might know him, perhaps as a comedian or an actor, but I say that he's a top-notch college basketball analyst who said, it's not a big deal to be great on a given night. Almost anybody can do that. The hard part is to be good, night after night, no matter what. So once again, Steve Martin is on top of his game.
DT: [Laughs] The University of Michigan Board of Regents voted unanimously this week to make Syracuse University Chancellor Kent Syverud the next president of U of M. Syverud earned a master's degree and law degree from Michigan and worked for the university for a time.
Syverud is accepting the position as U of M is investigating the actions and culture within its athletic department. He won't join U of M as president until July. Given that timing, how could that investigation factor into the start of his tenure as president of the university?
JUB: Well, from what I hear, that report from the law firm Jenner & Block is going to come down soon, probably within January, long before Syverud takes over officially. In that report, Warde Manuel, the athletic director, his fate is going to rise or fall. So if it exonerates him, he'll be the AD, probably, for a long time. And if it does not, he might not be the AD before Syverud even gets into office.
DT: The College Football Playoff National Championship game is coming up Monday night in Miami, Florida. The University of Miami will be taking on Indiana. Miami has won five national titles, but the last one was way back in 2001. Indiana has never won a national championship, and in fact, before this year, the Hoosiers hadn't won a postseason game since they won the 1991 Copper Bowl.
JUB: [Laughs]
DT: [Laughs] A memorable one, to be sure.
JUB: Yes, yes.
DT: Who do you like in the title game Monday night and why?
JUB: To put this in perspective, Doug, the Copper Bowl from 1991 has since been called the Insight Bowl; the Buffalo Wild Wings Bowl; the Cactus Bowl; and eventually, the Guaranteed Rate "Rate Bowl." Everyone knows that one, of course. So that's how long ago Indiana even mattered slightly.
The job that Curt Cignetti has done at Indiana might be the single best coaching job in the history of college football. I'm not even kidding. Now, Miami is a tough opponent, though, so this is about a toss-up of a game, I think, on paper. But I think the whole nation — outside of Miami — will be rooting for the Hoosiers this time.
Editor's notes: Some quotes in this article have been lightly edited for length and clarity. You can hear the full interview near the top of this page.
The University of Michigan holds Michigan Public's broadcast license.
