Los Angeles Dodgers left-hander Tarik Skubal deflected a question about his free agency minutes after the Milwaukee Brewers’ sweep. With $500 million projections circulating and agent Scott Boras reportedly targeting a Dec. 1 deadline, that silence carries real leverage.
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Speaking to reporters from his locker after completing the NLCS sweep, Skubal put any discussion about free agency to rest.
“I’m really not going to comment on my future,” the left-hander said.
Boras has a playbook: stay quiet, let the market bid against itself. Skubal is set to turn 30 on Nov. 20, and Boras’s clients tend to hold their cards close when the market opens, with early rumors of a 10-year, $500 million contract.
But Skubal’s brief time in LA left an impression. After Game 4, he praised the clubhouse.
“I just think the group of guys, the clubhouse, the culture they have here is real. I was honored to be a part of it,” the left-hander added in the clubhouse.
Skubal was signed by the club during the trade deadline, when the club traded outfielder Zyhir Hope, along with pitchers River Ryan and Brady Smith, to the Detroit Tigers. The Dodgers’ skipper, Dave Roberts, complimented him for fitting in perfectly.
The trade was supposed to be a luxury. It became a necessity when Ohtani’s injury left the rotation thin. Starting pitcher Shohei Ohtani did not pitch after his July 3rd start due to injuries, forcing the Dodgers to rely on an ace pitcher in October.
Skubal also talked about the Dodgers’ recent championship runs while standing at his locker. “It’s so hard to win. Seeing what the Dodgers have done the last 2 years, you think it’s easy, but it’s really not,” Skubal added.
The Brewers finished with a 103-59 record, the best in the National League, and came back from a 4-0 deficit to win 6-4 in Game 4, despite Ohtani hitting a three-run homer.
The sweep was not on Skubal. He went five innings of two-run ball in Game 1 and took the loss, while the lineup went hitless with runners in scoring position in a 7-4 Game 2 defeat.
However, the current short answer is quite different from August, when he appeared on Barstool Sports’ “Pardon My Take” and expressed his hope that the contract negotiations with the Detroit Tigers “pick back up in November once the playoffs are done.”
It seems like the gap has widened since then. Tigers president of baseball operations Scott Harris stated that Skubal’s side made it clear that he wanted to go for free agency, with the February arbitration ruling giving him $32 million against a $19 million offer.
According to an ESPN insider panel, the Dodgers and the New York Mets are at the top of his list, followed by the New York Yankees and the San Diego Padres.
His résumé justifies the hype: 12-7, 2.72 ERA, 0.96 WHIP. He could surpass Yamamoto’s $325M deal.
The CBA deadline adds another wrinkle. Boras apparently wants a deal completed before Dec. 1, when the CBA expires, but owners favor implementing a salary cap that the MLB Players Association refuses, which might tamp down any desire on the part of the Dodgers.
The Dodgers do have their reasons for keeping Skubal. He threw two starts in October, posting a 2.45 ERA with 14 strikeouts in 11 innings, and is one of the few teams that can afford him.