There are not a lot of Major League Baseball owners happier than Chris Ilitch heading into the weekend. The Detroit Tigers owner watched as his team advanced past the Cleveland Guardians in the American League Wild Card Series in a 6-3 road win in Game 3. However, he did not offer much thought on the future of AJ Hinch's ace pitcher Tarik Skubal with another matchup looming.

Skubal put up a dominant effort in the series opener , shutting Cleveland down in a 2-1 win. The All-Star is the favorite to win the AL Cy Young award in back-to-back seasons. While he has been great, Ilitch and the front office have not been quick to engage in contract extension talks. The starter is slated to be an unrestricted free agent this winter if he and Detroit cannot get a deal done.

Skubal avoided arb

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