No one had any real sense of how the Tigers' arbitration hearing against Tarik Skubal would play out. Insiders and fans speculated all they wanted, but there was never a clear victor — and anyone who might tell you they knew one side or the other would win is lying to you.
The Tigers had over 50 years of precedent in their favor. Skubal had his raw talent, two Cy Youngs, and a very good agent. Even after the Tigers came out of nowhere to sign Framber Valdez to a three-year $115 million deal on Wednesday, hours after the hearing, there was no way of truly knowing which way the arbitration panel would go.