Tarik Skubal is earning a record-setting $32 million this year after he won the salary arbitration case against the Detroit Tigers. Once he becomes a free agent at the end of this season, Skubal will surely spark a bidding war in the offseason. Teams will not hesitate to splurge on the back-to-back Cy Young Award winner. The Los Angeles Dodgers acquired Skubal knowing all this. And MLB analysts are now speculating whether the Dodgers actually have any plans for Skubal beyond the 2026 season.
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“The LA Dodgers are not serious about keeping this guy. This has nothing to do with the ownership situation and Mark Walter and what he’s involved with,” opined Evan Roberts on WFAN Radio.
“This is just: Dave Roberts has been told by Andrew Friedman, ‘use him and use him hard because he ain’t gonna be here next year, and he ain’t gonna be here the year after that.’ If they were ever serious about giving this man a 10-year contract, there was no way in August, months after surgery, that they would be doing this.”
Tarik Skubal underwent a minimally invasive arthroscopic surgery using a NanoScope on May 6. After removing loose bodies from his throwing elbow, Skubal returned to pitching on June 13. Although he made a remarkably quick recovery, the Tigers did not let him throw more than 96 pitches per start. But that quickly changed when the Dodgers acquired him.
The Dodgers acquired Skubal to anchor their rotation, which was suffering without several key pieces.
At the time, Tyler Glasnow, Blake Snell, and Shohei Ohtani were all shut down from pitching. But when healthy, the Dodgers don’t lack in the rotation department.
They also have Justin Wrobleski and Roki Sasaki on their roster. So, they are not in immediate need of a long-term rotation piece.
The Dodgers have Skubal on their roster for three months, including the postseason. If they want to keep him beyond that, they will have to compete with other teams in the offseason.
According to Evan Roberts, the Dodgers are not keen on signing Skubal to a massive free-agent contract. Rather, they are focused on this season only, and it is evident from the way they’re maximizing Skubal’s use.
On August 16, Skubal pitched a career-high 109 pitches against the Milwaukee Brewers. After he finished 5 innings in 95 pitches, manager Dave Roberts sent him for the sixth.
Skubal ended his outing by striking out the side. In six innings, he allowed 2 runs on 7 hits and 2 walks to the Brewers.
During his latest start against the Pittsburgh Pirates, Skubal went deeper, fanning 11 hitters. And the pitch count remained high.
Across 7 innings, Skubal threw 106 pitches and issued 3 earned runs on 5 hits and 1 walk, taking the win. It marked the first time he went 7-inning deep with the Dodgers.
The Dodgers view Skubal as a primary anchor to secure another World Series title. Building his pitch count back up ensures he is fully stretched out and conditioned for high-intensity playoff games.