Brewers Would Pay Remainder Of Salary In Deal For Tigers' Tarik Skubal

Perhaps as a way to limit the loss of prospects, the Milwaukee Brewers would be willing to pay the remainder of the $32 million salary in order to acquire reigning two-time AL Cy Young Award winner Tarik Skubal, Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic reported Friday.

Skubal will be owed about $9.4 million when he is dealt. The Brewers are MLB's smallest market, yet posted the best record last year and are just 1½ games behind the two-time defending World Series champion Los Angeles Dodgers (69-40) at 67-41 for this year's best record.

That $9.4 million matches catcher William Contreras' salary for 2026, which is the third-highest salary for the Brewers behind Christian Yelich's $24,032,625 and Brandon Woodruff's $22,025,000. The Brewers' had the No. 19 payroll on Opening Day at $124.8 million, per Cots.

By taking on more salary and relieving that burden from the Tigers, the damage in losing prospects is lessened. Basically, the Brewers are paying to keep prospects. If the Tigers would pay the remainder of Skubal's salary, they would be buying better prospects.

The Brewers have baseball's best farm system and can absorb the loss of key prospects, but the hesitancy from a team such as Milwaukee that values prospects like a golden egg, is the rental of Skubal for the rest of the season might be too much of a price to pay.

However, if Skubal helps the Brewers get to or win a World Series, that cost could be worth it.