In front of the backdrop bearing his name and the dozens of reporters waiting to hear the next pun-filled rant to officially kick off an unprecedented period of free agency, ace pitcher Tarik Skubal’s agent Scott Boras’ phone rang.
“Just another owner begging to meet with Skubal,” he said after glancing quickly down at the number.
Then the puns began.
“The anticipated offseason was sort of a bearish begin, but it’s very clear that there is a dominant and strong Sku-bull market,” Boras said when asked how the 29-year-old’s market is setting up. “It’s pretty clear that teams are not devoid of pursuing their championship portions. They understand there is one Tarik card, no doubt.”
Skubal is the crown jewel of this winter’s free-agent market, having won two straight American League Cy Youngs with the Detroit Tigers before getting traded to the Los Angeles Dodgers over the summer. He has a 2.47 ERA over the last four seasons, a 0.920 WHIP, an average of 10.9 strikeouts per nine innings, and a 6.94 strikeouts-to-walk ratio.
He is going to get paid, and Boras will certainly make sure of it before Major League Baseball is potentially locked out by the owners at 11:59 p.m. ET on Dec. 1. That way there is no worry about a potential salary cap handcuffing his earnings, which could range between $300 million and $400 million.
But just how many teams are going to be willing to dip their toes into the Skubal sweepstakes? You’ll have to take Boras’ dad-joke-laden description with a massive grain of salt.
“In the deep waters of talent treasure, there’s no time to come up for air,” he continued. “So teams have filled their tanks, and they’re all clearly ready for the Skubal dive.”
We know that the Mets are one of those teams. Steve Cohen and Co. are scheduled to meet with the All-Star and former Triple Crown winner in California next week. President of baseball operations David Stearns made it clear just days after the regular season ended that top-end pitching will be a priority, and Skubal is slated to be the major exception to the executive’s rule of not paying top dollar for free-agent pitching.
Outside of the Mets, the Dodgers are still very much a threat to retain Skubal after a strong half-season in which he went 5-2 with a 2.61 ERA. It remains to be seen, though, if they will be willing to add on to an already astounding payroll that is set to lead Major League Baseball yet again. Fangraphs projects LA will have a payroll of a whopping $450 million.
Besides the “Big 2,” it gets a whole lot murkier.
The Yankees have checked in on Skubal, but owner Hal Steinbrenner has been awfully frugal in recent years. He also has one of the best starting rotations in all of baseball. This offseason should be focused on improving a lineup that once again was too reliant on Aaron Judge and was further exposed when the three-time AL MVP was plagued by injuries.
The Chicago Cubs were an initial favorite, but they have already backed out, citing the potential bidding war of the heavyweights.
The San Diego Padres, the once-free-spending wheeler-dealer that has slowed down in recent years after the passing of former owner Peter Seidler, appear ready to throw their hat in the ring under new ownership led by Jose E. Feliciano and Kwanza Jones.
The Toronto Blue Jays are keen on going big-game hunting again this winter and are another team that will meet with Skubal next week. This is nothing new for the Canadian club, as they have been in the running for big names like Shohei Ohtani and Juan Soto. Winning Skubal’s signature would re-fuel the hope that they can get back to the form that won them the American League pennant in 2025 and nearly a World Series.
A division rival of the Mets, the Philadelphia Phillies, have often been another team that has gone spelunking into the expensive end of the free-agent market, but their direction this winter is unknown. Team president Dave Dombrowski said his greatest needs are an outfielder, right-handed hitting, infield depth, and bullpen help. For an organization with a projected payroll of $247 million, that wouldn’t leave a lot of room to make a blockbuster offer for Skubal.
For more on Tarik Skubal and the Mets, visit AMNY.com
