The Los Angeles Dodgers collect high-priced, starting pitchers, and so adding Tarik Skubal to the club long-term perhaps seems inevitable.
Without question, Skubal is the top free agent on the MLB market. There is no “must have” offensive bat up for bidding this off-season. The only guesswork surrounding Skubal, 29, and where he lands, and for how much money, is when the left-hander puts the pen to the contract.
With MLB’s collective bargaining agreement with the players set to expire on Dec. 1, and some disruption to the start of spring training expected, negotiations by Skubal’s agent, Scott Boras, with teams may proceed at a quicker pace than with past clients. This past season, the Dodgers failed in their attempt to win a third consecutive championship.
Other than the Dodgers, the New York Mets, San Diego Padres, and maybe the Los Angeles Angels are the frontrunners for landing Skubal, a former two-time American League Cy Young Award winner. However, since being traded last August to the Dodgers from Detroit, Skubal has praised the organization that acquired him.
“I spent eight years with the Detroit Tigers. That place will always be special to me no matter what. In the same breath, I’m excited to be here. I’m excited to compete with these guys,” Skubal said during his first media conference after arriving from Detroit.
In the 10 games in which he took to the mound for Los Angeles in 2026, Skubal’s performances didn’t disappoint. He gave the Dodgers every reason to fight to keep him in their fold for years to come. Plus, being from Hayward, California, roughly a six-hour drive from Dodger Stadium, is a selling point most other teams miss out on.
Boras has built a reputation of getting the most money for his clients, including record-setting numbers. In March 2019, Boras negotiated a 13-year, $330 million deal for Bryce Harper with the Philadelphia Phillies. He signed Juan Soto with the Mets to a 15-year, $765 million contract.
Given that there are 10 Dodgers signed to contracts with deferred compensation totaling more than $1 billion, which eases the team’s annual payroll, there is little reason not to believe that the team couldn’t add Skubal to this exclusive listing. Skubal said from his first day with the Dodgers that he understands their attitude toward winning.
“The entire focus of this organization is on winning championships, and that’s my entire focus of playing baseball … so we’re very much aligned,” he said on Aug. 3.
Given Skubal’s durability throughout his career, and his performances after the surgery last season to remove loose bodies in his left elbow, structurally his pitching arm is as sound as ever. The minimally invasive Nanoscope procedure required no cast afterward, and he began playing catch about a week after the operation.
Tarik Skubal #29 of the Los Angeles Dodgers throws a pitch against the Milwaukee Brewers during the first inning in game one of the National League Championship Series at American Family Field in Milwaukee on Oct. 11, 2026. (Patrick McDermott/Getty Images)
There is speculation that a seven-year, $400 million deal isn’t outside the realm of possibility for Skubal. With the Angels in the process of being sold to billionaire Stan Kroenke, they have the funds to match whatever the Dodgers could be dangling. Overspending for Skubal would send a positive message to the Angels’ fan base that they are serious about again presenting a competitive product on the field.
Like the Angels, the Padres have new owners. Last August Jose E. Feliciano and his wife Kwanza Jones purchased the Padres for $3.9 billion. With several early exits in recent postseasons, Skubal could be the arm that puts the team back into the World Series. San Diego last appeared in the Fall Classic in 1998, and lost to the New York Yankees.
Prior to last season’s procedure on his pitching arm, Skubal underwent Tommy John surgery a decade ago and has shown no side effects of any wear and tear on the mound. Skubal’s uncanny control surely has captivated the Dodgers’ coaching staff.
During last season, which he split between the Tigers and the Dodgers, Skubal in 158.2 innings rang up 186 strikeouts and allowed only 27 walks. Such a control pitcher doesn’t become available often. Given the number of starting pitcher injuries the Dodgers staff has experienced in recent seasons, including Shohei Ohtani in 2026, signing Skubal makes additional sense.
Joining the mix of Roki Sasaki, Emmet Sheehan, Blake Snell, Tyler Glasnow, Yoshinobu Yamamoto, and Ohtani if he continues to be a two-way player, Skubal could give the Dodgers a continued better-than-average opportunity to go deep into the postseason. Moreover, Los Angeles doled out a $240 million deal to Kyle Tucker in January.
Tucker’s four-year deal has a $60 million average annual value. This offers more proof that the Dodgers have the ability to pay Skubal the going rate of a superstar starting pitcher.
Agreeing to an annual salary of $50 million for seven or eight seasons is what Skubal is projected to land. Whether he signs before or after any labor issues get settled is a moot point. Skubal will be paid handsomely. By who and for how much is left for guessing. Big money players seem to love being Dodgers. By all indications, so does Skubal.
