The Los Angeles Dodgers remain interested in bringing back free agent pitcher Tarik Skubal, but the two sides appear to have different ideas about how that reunion might look.
The Dodgers, according to the Athletic’s Katie Woo, are willing to pay handsomely to bring their mid-season acquisition back to Los Angeles for several more years, potentially giving Skubal the highest average annual value for a pitcher in Major League Baseball history.
That is, of course, an enticing offer for the two-time Cy Young Award-winning Skubal, who is far and away the top player available on the free agent market.
But, despite wanting to make Skubal the highest paid pitcher in baseball, Skubal and his representation apparently want more from whatever team signs him in the coming weeks.
Skubal, according to ESPN’s Jeff Passan, wants long-term security—he’s not interested in a Kyle Tucker-esque short-term, big money deal.
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The caveat, according to Woo, is the Dodgers’ willingness to offer their star pitcher a long-term contract a la Yoshinobu Yamamoto or Shohei Ohtani. Those are the only players the Dodgers have ever signed to deals longer than six years.
Dodgers unlikely to give Tarik Skubal long-term deal
As MLB Trade Rumors notes, the Dodgers have a reputation of getting whomever they want in free agency. But the team has actually been happy to sit out when the length of free agent contracts exceed their established top-end.
For instance, Juan Soto got a 15-year deal from the New York Mets. Bryce Harper got 13 years and Trea Turner got 11 from the Philadelphia Phillies. The Dodgers were involved in those conversations, but ultimately bowed out as more years got added.
“In some of those cases, the Dodgers were involved but would only pounce if the player didn’t find a satisfactory long-term deal and became open to short-term offers,” Darragh McDonald of MLB Trade Rumors writes. “This approach has been described as ‘hanging around the backboard.'”
That strategy is how Los Angeles ended up with Kyle Tucker on a 4-year, $240 million deal last offseason. That’s the type of deal the team would like to offer Skubal.
After Tucker’s poor showing during the 2026 regular season (before returning to form in the playoffs), the organization and their fans are probably breathing a sigh of relief that Tucker wasn’t signed for double-digit years.
Free Agency Watch: Tarik Skubal
Skubal, for all his brilliance and accolades, has injury concerns that can’t be ignored, and he’ll be turning 30 in a little more than one week. If he wants a deal that keeps him paid into his year-40 season or longer, he might have to find it elsewhere.
The Mets, for instance, seem like a logical landing spot if that were the case, and New York is apparently in hot pursuit.
It would be a bit of a blunder for the Dodgers to unload two top-100 MLB prospects for three months of Skubal. But Skubal was always a luxury and not a necessity. The team is well-positioned to absorb the loss of a player like Skubal. Los Angeles would still have arguably the top starting pitcher rotation in baseball if he were to depart.
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But it would be a tough pill to swallow to see Skubal suit up for another team after months of will they, won’t they flirtations followed by a long-expected union.
Skubal wants a long-term commitment; L.A. wants to pay him a lot of money early and maintain some financial flexibility in the future.
The Dodgers are already deferring more than $1 billion to other stars. Team owner Mark Walter is under federal investigation and apparently working to drum up cash to settle debts. The team historically doesn’t deviate from its previously established contract length limits.
A reunion simply might not be in the cards.
Skubal might be the one who got away.
And the Dodgers would have to hope that decision doesn’t keep them up at night.
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