Tarik Skubal enters free agency after Dodgers' NLCS sweep — SkimNews
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- Tarik Skubal won two AL Cy Young Awards with the Detroit Tigers and was traded to the Dodgers at the deadline, set to start Game 5 of the NLCS before the team was swept by the Brewers.
- Scott Boras, Skubal’s agent, is targeting a $325 million contract, the current benchmark set by Yoshinobu Yamamoto, though some executives believe Skubal could reach $400 million.
- Dodgers have an exclusive five-day negotiating window with Skubal but are unlikely to sign him before free agency opens, as Boras expects a full market test.
- Mets have significant pitching needs and financial capacity under Steve Cohen, positioning them as a top suitor despite coming off back-to-back losing seasons.
- Yoshinobu Yamamoto signed a 12-year, $325 million deal with the Dodgers in 2023, a contract structure unlikely to be replicated for 30-year-old Skubal despite his elite performance.
- MLB’s potential salary cap looms as a factor, with uncertainty over whether teams like the Mets or Dodgers will accelerate big spending before restrictions or hold back due to financial risk.
Why it matters: Skubal’s free agency could reset the market for pitchers, testing whether teams will pay unprecedented sums to a 30-year-old ace with recent elbow surgery. The outcome will signal how much financial risk franchises are willing to take amid looming labor tensions and a possible salary cap.
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