The Tigers came into arbitration deadline day with $44.7 million projected to be added to their payroll after they'd settled up with eight players they had yet to come to an agreement with (Matt Vierling, Jake Rogers, and Beau Brieske already settled earlier in the offseason).
Tarik Skubal is expected to blow not only every other Tigers player but every other arb-eligible player out of the water, but Detroit still had a few heavy hitters to come to the table with: Riley Greene, Spencer Torkelson, Kerry Carpenter, Zach McKinstry, and Will Vest, among them.
Skubal's figure could be record-breaking (anywhere between $17 million and $22 million feels right), and the Tigers had to find any opportunity to cut a few corners and add a couple more bucks to Skubal's treasure trove.