Skubal Addresses Free Agency After Dodgers' NLCS Exit — SkimNews
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- Tarik Skubal watched the Dodgers lose in the NLCS from the dugout in Game 4 and offered little on his upcoming free agency: "I'm not going to comment on my future really at all... Today sucks."
- Skubal enters free agency as the top available arm after three straight playoff trips and a 2.13 ERA in eight postseason starts, though he has never reached the World Series — the NLCS run this year was his deepest.
- Skubal won back-to-back American League Cy Young Awards in 2024 and 2025 at age 29.
- Skubal underwent NanoScope surgery on his pitching elbow this season and missed only starts between April 29 and June 13 before returning to the mound.
- The Detroit Tigers traded Skubal to the Dodgers at the deadline for a package headlined by top prospect Zyhir Hope, despite sitting just 2½ games out of a playoff spot.
- Skubal made 26 starts across both teams in 2025, going 12-7 with a 2.72 ERA (155 ERA+), 0.96 WHIP, 186 strikeouts in 158⅔ innings, and 4.6 WAR.
- Skubal's contract is clouded by the expiring CBA and ownership's push for a salary cap, meaning his deal — and the broader free agent market — could be delayed until a new labor agreement is in place.
Why it matters: Skubal is the premier arm available, but the expiring CBA and ownership's salary-cap push introduce a timing risk that could delay or reshape his contract and the broader free-agent class — teams may race to grandfather deals under the current agreement before terms change.
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