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Tarik Skubal won the American League Cy Young award in 2024 by winning the pitching Triple Crown and leading the AL in wins, strikeouts and ERA. In 2025 he proceeded to have an even better statistical season, lowering his ERA and WHIP and striking out even more batters than he did during his Cy Young season.

About to enter his age 29 season, Skubal has one more campaign under Detroit's control before he becomes a free agent. As of right now, he's due to make $22.5 million next season, which is about half what Max Scherzer got annually from the Mets when they signed him to a three-year deal back in 2022.

The Tigers made Skubal an offer last offseason that was deemed "non-competitive" and it seems that another incredible season on the mound did not convince them to make whatever he considers a competitive offer.

According to Jon Heyman of the , the two sides are about a quarter of a billion dollars apart. No, seriously. In the words of Heyman, "Yep, that’s not a misprint. It’s close to $250 million."

While the total money or number of years is not clear, Heyman says that the "baseline for Skubal is seen as $400M." So the Tigers could be doing anything from making an insultingly low offer to being right there on the average salary, but far apart on the length of the contract.

Either way, they're going to have to pay Skubal to keep him.

Who is the highest paid pitcher in MLB?

For Skubal to crack the top five highest-paid pitchers, he'd need more than $35 million a year, which is exactly what Corbin Burnes is getting from the Diamondbacks. Shohei Ohtani has an average salary of $70 million, but unless Skubal can hit 50-plus home runs a season as a designated hitter, he should probably focus on what these guys are making.

Here are the five pitchers with contracts worth an average annual value of over $30 million, when they signed those deals and how long they are.

Pitcher

Average Annual Value

Signed

Contract Length

Zack Wheeler

$42,000,000

2025

3 years

Jacob deGrom

$37,000,000

2023

5 years

Blake Snell

$36,400,000

2025

5 years + club option

Gerrit Cole

$36,000,000

2019

9 years

Corbin Burnes

$35,000,000

2024

6 years

Shaka Hislop has revealed he is battling an aggressive form of prostate cancer, sharing the emotional update in a deeply personal message to fans. The former Newcastle and West Ham goalkeeper detailed his 18-month medical journey, including surgery, spreading cancer and recent radiation therapy, while urging men, especially those at higher risk, to get tested early.

Hislop announces his prostate cancer diagnosis

Former Premier League favourite Hislop shocked the football world by announcing he has been diagnosed with an aggressive form of prostate cancer, outlining an 18-month timeline of tests, surgery, recurrence and ongoing treatment. The 56-year-old revealed the cancer was initially detected after an elevated PSA reading during routine screening, before spreading months later despite a radical prostatectomy. Hislop, now a respected pundit, disclosed that he has just completed seven-and-a-half weeks of radiation therapy and is continuing treatment.

The diagnosis marks a difficult chapter for the ex-goalkeeper, who is widely remembered for starring in Newcastle’s title-challenging sides under Kevin Keegan and for making over 100 appearances for West Ham. Hislop’s video update has sparked an outpouring of support from fans, teammates and viewers who have followed his post-playing career in broadcasting. His message stressed both the importance of early detection and the reality that prostate cancer can develop even without a family history.

Hislop’s announcement has renewed attention on the risks of prostate cancer for men over 50 and particularly for Black men, who statistically face higher mortality rates. His call for regular PSA testing challenges the inconsistent medical guidelines found across different countries. The news has also prompted wider conversations about awareness within football communities, where former players have increasingly used their platforms to highlight major health issues.

AdvertisementGetty Images SportHislop urges men to get tested early for prostate cancer

In a video released on his social media, Hislop said: “I have a story to tell. Roughly 18 months ago, I went for my annual physical and insisted on a PSA test, as I always do. This time around though my PSA was elevated.

“An MRI and biopsy quickly determined that I had a fairly aggressive prostate cancer. A year ago, almost to the day, December 6 to be exact, I had a radical prostatectomy. And I thought that was it.

“But then, six months later, my PSA was again on the rise and another scan showed that my prostate cancer had spread to my pelvic bone. I started on medication pretty soon after, and just this morning completed seven-and-a-half weeks of radiation therapy. The journey continues.”

“Doctors recommend that all men over the age of 50 get their PSA checked regularly. If you're of African descent, that age drops to 40. If you're somewhere like the UK or somewhere else where PSA tests aren't encouraged, you have got to insist.

“Having a history of cancer in the family doesn't matter. I had genetic testing done and it showed no traits in my family, yet this year would show that, without going into too much detail, even that didn't exclude everybody in my immediate family. The highest rate of prostate cancer mortality is in Caribbean men, so allow me to speak to my community, my people. Please, go get tested. Know your PSA, track – its history.

“Prostate cancer is survivable if caught early enough. There are treatments for it. Testing saves lives. It saved mine.”

Getty Images NewsProstate cancer awareness: A growing necessity

Hislop’s message resonates strongly because prostate cancer is one of the most common yet most quietly developing cancers in the world, often showing no symptoms in its early stages. Many men only seek medical attention once the cancer becomes advanced, making Hislop’s insistence on annual testing a crucial reminder about preventative health. The 99% survival rate for early-stage prostate cancer highlights why screening remains the single most impactful step men can take.

The former Trinidad and Tobago international has long been admired not only for his playing career but for his off-field contributions as an activist and broadcaster. His leadership within the Show Racism The Red Card campaign and his standing within ESPN FC make his message highly influential across global audiences. By speaking directly to Black and Caribbean men, Hislop underscores a demographic reality: these groups face some of the highest prostate cancer mortality rates in the world, making early detection uniquely urgent.

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Hislop contines to undergo treatement after radiation therapy

Hislop’s treatment continues following the completion of his radiation therapy, and he has vowed to keep supporters updated as he navigates the next phase of his recovery. His central aim is to use his platform to amplify awareness around PSA testing and encourage men worldwide to prioritise early screening. For now, the football community will rally around him as he continues both his medical journey and his mission to save lives through education and advocacy.

Australia will start the Ashes without Cummins and Hazlewood and have two debutants in the XI but they aren’t fretting it

Alex Malcolm20-Nov-20251:55

Starc confident in replacements for Cummins and Hazlewood

Steven Smith projected a sense of calm sitting in front of a huge media throng as Australia’s captain on the eve of a home Ashes series.He’s been there and done this many times before. But this is a little different. That Smith was sitting there as the stand-in captain was not plan A for Australia.That they are playing without two of their big three fast bowlers, Pat Cummins and Josh Hazlewood, in a home Test for the first time since 2022 was definitely not plan B.That they have picked two players, Brendan Doggett and Jake Weatherald, to debut in the same Test for the first time since 2019, and a seventh different opening partner for Usman Khawaja in 16 Tests, was not even plan C.Australia are unsettled and vulnerable. But while there is a popular belief, at least externally, that England must win in Perth to have any chance in the series, there is no sense that Australia feel Perth is make or break. The lessons of last year’s loss to India in Perth before winning the series 3-1 are fresh in their minds.”I think you want to try and win the first Test match and get yourself ahead of the game, I suppose, or the series,” Smith said on Thursday. “But I think either way we look at last summer, we lost the first Test match and we were able to claw the series back.”We’ve got a lot of belief in that change room, if the result doesn’t go our way this week, that we can turn it around. We saw it last year. So ideally, we play well this week, and we’ve got potentially Patty on the table next game. Josh, I don’t know, but I think we’ll see how this week pans out.”Steven Smith: There’s always so many words said before the [Ashes] series•Getty ImagesAustralia have learnt some clear lessons from 12 months ago. Despite their public protestations after copping a shellacking from India in Perth that caused a firestorm of criticism from home fans, they knew internally they had been undercooked going into that series.Related

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Every member of the squad bar Khawaja played the most recent Sheffield Shield round to prepare for the opening Test, something that didn’t happen last year. Every member of the chosen XI bar Travis Head and Mitchell Starc have played at least two first-class games in the last month, which again was not the case last summer. Perth golf courses have been frequented this week, but quantifiably less often than in the training period last year.The hype has been unprecedented. On another scale to last year, even with the inflation that India can bring. But for Smith, entering his ninth Ashes series as a player and his fifth on home soil, it has felt like par for the course.”It’s pretty standard,” Smith said. “I’ve been involved in a few now, and there’s always so many words said before the series. But for us, I think it’s about just ignoring the outside noise, concentrating on our processes, what we do well as a team and trusting and backing that throughout. It’s exciting that we’re starting tomorrow. Everyone’s been raring to go for the last few days of training and even before that.”Australia have maintained their own bubble. There were no leaks to the media of the initial Ashes squad. There was no leaks of the XI until Thursday morning, which was a pretty good achievement given the binary nature of the choices the selectors had.Even the public pontifications on how Bazball will fare in Australia have been left to ex-players, the media and the punters. Australia’s current players have consistently spoken kindly this week about the quality of England’s team and the brand of cricket they play.There were moments in the 2023 Ashes in England when Australia did look “rattled” in the field as England’s Bazballers swung momentum violently at times as only they can.The proof will be in the pudding, but Smith certainly portrayed a sense that Bazball is not “in their heads” as the Barmy Army’s song suggests.”I think it’s just playing the tempo of the game that needs to be played at each certain time,” Smith said. “I’ve no doubt throughout this series, there’s going to be periods of the game where a few of their batters get off and they score some runs quickly. And for us, it might be about being a little bit defensive in those moments. And then finding the moments where we can attack a bit more and just playing the game, really, that’s in front of us, and not letting it drift too far before we implement the plans that need to be played at that certain time. I guess that’s as simple as I can put it right now.”There are as many unknowns about Australia as there are about England ahead of this series. But it is clear Australia are not gripping the steering wheel tight in Perth. The result will be the result. Reinforcements are almost certain to come soon given how good Cummins looks in the nets.It might be the calm before the storm. But even if the storm comes, an understrength Australia appear prepared for it.