Garrett Crochet led the Red Sox rotation all the way to the Wild Card, finishing the year with an impressive 2.59 ERA. Paul Skenes was right there with him, putting up a Cy Young–worthy 1.97 ERA. But now, both of their seasons have come to an early end in 2025. Meanwhile, there’s one guy still lighting up the mound in the ALDS, and that’s the Tigers’ Tarik Skubal.

With a 2.21 ERA, he’s been dominant, and in this ongoing Game 5 against the Mariners, he’s on the verge of breaking records. If rumors are true, he’s going to be one of the hottest names on the market once Skubal hits free agency next year. And honestly, with the way he’s pitching right now, becoming the highest-paid pitcher in baseball wouldn’t surprise anyone.

“Tarik Skubal is doing his Bob Gibson impersonation. That’s 13 strikeouts. And, oh, by the way, he’s a free agent a year from now. He should get the richest contract for a pitcher in baseball history.” MLB insider Bob Nightengale shared.

On Friday night, Skubal struck out seven batters in a row, setting a new MLB postseason record. The old mark was six, shared by eight different pitchers. He ended the night with 13 SOs over six innings, giving up just two hits and no walks. And that’s not all: in their first Wild Series game against the Guardians, Skubal struck out 14, setting a Tigers’ record.

And here’s the kicker: Skubal is on a one-year, $10.15 million deal with Detroit. A year from now, he’ll hit free agency, and you can bet every big-market team will be lining up for him. Why not, when the man is standing with only a 1.74 ERA in this postseason?

For comparison, Spotrac projects Skenes could land around $120 million over three years once he becomes eligible, though that won’t happen until 2029. Skubal, on the other hand, will be on the market next year. And according to Nightengale, he could be in line for the richest pitching contract in MLB.

Skubal is also heating the Cy Young award race

The AL Cy Young race has basically boiled down to Tarik Skubal vs. Garrett Crochet. According to MLB, Skubal is poised to win his second consecutive Cy Young, grabbing 32 first-place votes. For the unversed, Crochet only edges him out in strikeouts (255 to 241), but in ERA, runs allowed, and WHIP, Skubal is clearly on top.

And now that the Red Sox are out of the picture and Skubal is still lighting up the mound, the race has basically become a one-man show. On the NL side, Paul Skenes is set to take home the Cy Young. So, fans who are excited to see him make waves in free agency might get the same thrill with Skubal. Or you can expect even better.

With Skubal, Crochet, and Skenes all having more than five years of service time left, plus rookies like Jacob Misiorowski starting to emerge, it looks like pitchers are about to dominate the next few seasons. And after years of sluggers ruling free agency, a pitching-focused era seems to be on the horizon.