Tarik Skubal, Major League Baseball’s top free agent, could return to Los Angeles, according to his close friend and teammate, Blake Snell.
Snell was asked about the team’s chances of bringing Skubal back to Los Angeles, while chatting with SportsNet LA’s David Vassegh at a Dodgers Foundation event in Altadena last Friday.
Snell said he talks to Skubal “every day” and that he continues to make the pitch to bring his fellow two-time Cy Young Award winner back.
“He knows how I feel. I want nothing more than for him to be a Dodger,” Snell said. “But again, it’s a life decision for him and his family and I respect that.”
Snell said he sees the comments from Dodgers fans asking him to put pressure on Skubal to re-sign with the Dodgers long-term, and he promised he’s doing the work.
So, is he coming back?
“I think we have a good shot,” Snell said. “I think we do have a good shot of getting him back.”
Blake Snell and Tarik Skubal became fast friends
From the moment Skubal arrived in Los Angeles in a prospect-packed deal just before the MLB trade deadline, he developed an immediate kinship with Snell.
Fellow Dodgers starting pitcher Tyler Glasnow joked that the blossoming friendship was “love at first sight.”
“They’re two good personalities; they’re both really funny. And I think they’re both just competitors,” Glasnow said on the Dodgers Territory podcast. “And they learn from each other.”
Glasnow added that Skubal has a reputation as a quality teammate, something mirrored in Snell.
“It’s just been like a nice melding of minds, I guess,” Glasnow said.
Read More: Max Muncy says Miguel Rojas is ready to be MLB manager
Snell said he’s been putting in the work. He told reporters he urged Skubal not to leave after the Milwaukee Brewers swept the Dodgers in the National League Championship Series. And the feeling seems mutual: A few weeks ago, Skubal joined an AI rap video trend, using AI versions of himself and Snell rapping to Quavo and Takeoff’s “Hotel Lobby.”
There doesn’t seem to be anything but respect and affinity between the two stars.
Blake Snell and Tarik Skubal by the numbers
In addition to their apparent instant connection on a personal level, Snell and Skubal have a lot in common as competitors.
They’ve both won Cy Young Awards as their league’s best pitcher: Skubal in back-to-back seasons in 2024 and 2025 as a member of the Detroit Tigers, and Snell in 2018 with the Tampa Bay Rays and 2023 with the San Diego Padres.
They are both dominant lefty pitchers who aren’t particularly physically imposing, both have career ERAs and FIPs around 3.00, and, as mentioned by Glasnow, both are considered quality locker-room guys.
Snell and Skubal both racked up individual accolades early in their careers but didn’t find much postseason success until, in Snell’s case, arriving in Los Angeles. If Skubal wants to follow that same trajectory, a reunion with the Dodgers might be his best chance to reach the top of the mountain.
Snell’s got a career 3.10 ERA, 1,495 career strikeouts, and an 85-63 record in 231 appearances. As a Dodger, he’s got a 9-5 record in 20 appearances and a 2.16 ERA—his best for any team. In the playoffs, Snell has a 3-3 record for the Dodgers with a 3.50 ERA and 3.84 FIP, according to Baseball Reference.
Skubal’s career numbers are, somehow, even better. His career ERA is 3.02 with 1,075 strikeouts and a 66-44 record in 163 appearances. His half-season in Los Angeles proved he was worth the big investment with a 2.61 ERA in 10 regular-season games. He went 1-1 in the 2026 postseason with a 2.45 ERA and 4.01 FIP, according to Baseball Reference.
Read More: Dodgers predicted to sign free agency’s top reliever
Where the two deviate most notably might just be in their bank accounts. Snell has earned an estimated $157 million, according to Spotrac. That’s nearly twice as much as Skubal’s career earnings.
That is all set to change when Skubal signs his next deal in the coming weeks, one that is expected to break the MLB record for the richest contract ever awarded to a pitcher.
Skubal is predicted to make more than $300 million on his next deal, with potential to reach half a billion, depending on the length of his deal.
Half of the sport is apparently kicking the tires on Skubal. The New York Mets seem poised to offer a record-shattering contract of their own. The New York Yankees are sniffing around. The Detroit Tigers could be putting together a welcome back package. The Chicago Cubs apparently want Skubal more than any other team.
But the Dodgers have the resources, deep pockets, and Skubal’s kindred spirit on the roster lobbying for his return. If Snell is to be taken at his word, there’s a “good shot” we see No. 29 in Dodger Blue back on the mound in 2027.
For more stories like this, follow Dodgers Dynasty on Instagram and Facebook.
