Tarik Skubal is a Los Angeles Dodger right now, but his future beyond the 2026 season is still very much up in the air.
The reigning back-to-back AL Cy Young winner has expressed a desire to return to the Tigers this winter if possible, but we know money talks in free agency, which is why he was dealt to the Dodgers in the first place.
Los Angeles will undoubtedly be in the running to re-sign Skubal this offseason, though one other team that may be able to keep up and potentially outbid them is the New York Mets. In fact, former GM Jim Duquette believes they have to land the superstar pitcher if they want to turn things around in Flushing Meadows.
“My biggest concern has been and is in the rotation. The philosophy that David Stearns has had just doesn’t work in New York. They have to sign Skubal! I don’t believe there’s any other way out of this if they don’t get Skubal… I think it’s a two-team race and in the free agent market you have to take your shot. It’s two teams (Mets and Dodgers), it’s two teams. Take your shot at it. It’s gonna have to be, is it $400 million? Probably,”
The 29-year-old Skubal is posied to hit free agency this Winter, currently playing on the one-year, $32 million contract extension he signed with the Tigers in February after winning his arbitration case. He’s gone 7-6 across 18 starts this season, sporting a 2.93 ERA with 128 strikeouts and just 18 walks in the process.
With so much talk about where Skubal is going next, you have to wonder just how much his head and heart are into the present with the Dodgers.
What he wants is to be in Detroit, what’s most likely is staying in Los Angeles, but in the end it’s the Mets who may ultimately be the biggest threat to get him should Steve Cohen continue to outspend the competition.
All of that to say, Skubal’s free-agent sweepstakes are going to be fascinating to watch.
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