Ex-Yankee Josh Donaldson blasts Tigers over Tarik Skubal negotiations

The Tigers’ looming salary showdown with their superstar pitcher has been dubbed a “fumble.”

Former Yankees third baseman Josh Donaldson blasted the Tigers over their arbitration negotiations with ace lefty Tarik Skubal, days after the sides failed to reach a contract agreement for 2026.

“A little behind but just saw the arbitration news on Skubal,” Donaldson wrote on X on Saturday. “I mean the Detroit Tigers fumble this big time. Skubal wants 32 mill Detroit offers 19 mill. Trash organization.”

The $13 million arbitration gap between Skubal and the Tigers is the largest in MLB history.

Skubal, 29, has won back-to-back American League Cy Young awards, cementing himself as one of the top pitchers in the sport.

Over the past two seasons, Skubal has posted an eye-popping 31-10 record with a 2.30 ERA and 469 strikeouts in 387 ⅓ innings across 62 outings.

Skubal will seek to break the highest salary for an arbitration-eligible pitcher, a record set by David Price’s $19.75 million in 2015.

Donaldson, a former American League MVP, is familiar with the trappings of the arbitration process better than most.

Fresh off winning the award in 2015, Donaldson and the Blue Jays failed to reach an agreement as he submitted a $11.8 million figure while Toronto countered at $11.35 million.

The sides agreed to a two-year extension, buying out two of his arbitration seasons before agreeing to a then-record one-year, $23 million deal in February 2018 in his final foray through the process.

Despite Donaldson’s desire for a multi-year extension, that never materialized and the Blue Jays ultimately traded the All-Star months later — a possible outcome for Skubal.

The Post’s Jon Heyman reported in November that there’s a $250 million gap in extension talks between Skubal and Detroit, which has led to his name floating in trade rumors all offseason.

The Mets and Yankees have both been linked to the lefty, with the latter feeling “it would take half the team” to pry him away, Heyman reported earlier this week.

Donaldson, who spent two disappointing seasons in The Bronx from 2022-23, is not the first former Yankee to weigh in on the Skubal saga this offseason.

Cameron Maybin, a former Tigers outfielder, ripped his former team’s handling of Skubal in November — while urging the Yankees to swing a trade.

“Tigers clearly don’t want to pay him or they would have already. … I’m sure they’re trying to justify or convince themselves [how] it’s probably not smart to pay Skubal what he deserves,” Maybin said.