Almost a week ago to this date, the Los Angeles Dodgers pulled off the most stunning trade across the MLB trade deadline period by acquiring ace starter Tarik Skubal.
What made Tarik Skubal’s trade saga so dramatic and drawn out by everyone in the baseball world was the fact that he is an impending free agent after the season.
Los Angeles gave up three highly-touted prospects to acquire Skubal, and given his track record as a starter, the Dodgers will certainly be making a run at him during his free agency.
However, Tarik Skubal poured cold water on the Dodgers’ free agency desires by noting he encourages (and hopes) that the Detroit Tigers are involved in the contract negotiations.
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Tarik Skubal Wishes the Tigers Are Aggressive in His Free Agency
GettyCHICAGO, ILLINOIS – AUGUST 04: Tarik Skubal #29 of the Los Angeles Dodgers celebrates a out a home plate by Tommy Edman #25 (not pictured) during the sixth inning against the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field on August 04, 2026 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images)
In what will pretty much be as big of an MLB storyline as his trade saga, Tarik Skubal’s free agency is set to be chaos. Skubal is undoubtedly the best pitcher in MLB right now, and he will likely demand the largest contract ever handed out to a pitcher, which could start at $300 million over X amount of years.
Recently, on an appearance on PardonMyTake, here is what Skubal had to say about the Detroit Tigers being a part of his free agency sweepstakes:
âI would love to play my entire career in Detroitâ
âHopefully those negotiations can pick back up once the playoffs are doneâ
âHopefully, theyâre involved with everything, I would love to returnâ
Skubal does note that he’s very excited to be in Los Angeles, and potentially help the Los Angeles Dodgers win their third consecutive World Series, but geez, wouldn’t that be a turn of events for the Tigers if they were able to ink Skubal in free agency after getting three quality prospects in return for trading him to LA?
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Tarik Skubal’s 2026 Season Thus Far
You don’t have to look very hard on the back of Tarik Skubal’s baseball card to find out the reason his free agency is perhaps the biggest ever for a starting pitcher.
Across 102.2 IP this season, Skubal has an ERA of 2.81 with 122 strikeouts and just 16 walks.
In the past two seasons (CY Young campaigns in 2024 and 2024), Skubal held an ERA of sub-2.50 with 225+ strikeouts in both seasons, and fewer than 35 walks in both years.
It’s been since the 2022 MLB season that Tarik Skubal has posted a WHIP of higher than 1.000, which is just flat out incredible to think about.
So, yeah, these latest comments may be an attempt to pour cold water on the Dodgers’ free agency chances, but at the same time, I’m sure Skubal will be okay with whichever team inks him to a $300+ million deal.
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