The Los Angeles Dodgers have some competition for starting pitcher Tarik Skubal, with several contenders swimming around and one playoff team apparently more desperate than the others.
Several prominent MLB writers have drawn the logical line between Skubal and the New York Mets, who are desperate to return to the postseason after having the second-largest payroll in baseball and little to show for it. The Dodgers, of course, will likely do whatever they can to bring their coveted left-hander back into the fold.
But the Mets and Dodgers will have plenty of competition, including from New York’s other team, the New York Yankees.
ESPN’s Kiley McDaniel said the Yankees are “thinking about” getting into the Skubal sweepstakes, even though, like the Dodgers, their starting pitcher rotation is already loaded with blue chip talent and quality aces.
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McDaniel notes that the Yankees could go out and get Tarik Skubal and then potentially trade one of their current starters to fill needs elsewhere. I’ve floated the idea of the Dodgers doing something similar with Tyler Glasnow.
A reunion with the Detroit Tigers could still be in play if Skubal is willing to give his former team a discount, and the San Diego Padres, Chicago White Sox and the Los Angeles Angels could also make a play. The Angels, of course, are undergoing a long-awaited ownership change, and Stan Kroenke is not afraid to make a big splash.
But perhaps one team in all of baseball wants Skubal more than the rest, and it’s none of the aforementioned teams (although the Dodgers will go hard to keep him).
Chicago Cubs are desperate for Tarik Skubal
According to ESPN’s Jeff Passan, the Chicago Cubs are interested in Skubal. In fact, Passan writes that the Cubs “badly want” him.
The Cubs had the top offense in baseball in 2026, and clinched a National League playoff berth as a Wild Card team before being swept by the Padres.
But Cubs starting pitchers had the 18th-best ERA (4.27) out of all teams in 2026. Their starters were 25th in FIP, and 26th in WAR in 2026, according to FanGraphs.
And things could only get worse.
The team’s top four starters in 2026, Shota Imanaga, Matthew Boyd, David Peterson and Colin Rea, are all unrestricted free agents, as are longtime starters Clay Holmes and Kevin Gausman.
With the prospect of potentially having to rebuild the starting pitcher rotation from scratch, the urgency for Tarik Skubal begins to make sense.
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But Passan states that the Cubs are skeptical about being able to meet his dollar demand, which is expected to be more than $300 million, and potentially into the $400 million-dollar range.
Where Skubal will end up remains a bit of a mystery, but the Dodgers likely still have a leg up on the competition. He’s a fan of the organization, how they do business, how they prepare game in and game out, and he’s apparently become close friends with fellow starting pitcher Blake Snell, according to ESPN’s Alden Gonzalez.
If Andrew Friedman has the green light to spend, Skubal should, theoretically, be back in Dodger blue for the beginning of the 2027 season—whenever that may be.
Passan thinks we will know sooner rather than later where Tarik Skubal signs, expecting a deal to get done before a potential lockout begins on Dec. 1.
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