The spotlight is on Tarik Skubal, who is the top free agent of the offseason. He is one of the best pitchers alive right now. He has a 2.64 earned run average over the past four seasons. His 30.1% strikeout rate and 4.8% walk rate in that time are both elite figures. His 44.6% ground ball rate in that span isn’t quite as gaudy but is still better than average. He won the American League Cy Young in both 2024 and 2025.
His 2026 was interrupted by an elbow surgery but he still managed to post a 2.72 ERA over 26 starts, plus two more postseason starts. He was traded midseason, making him ineligible for a qualifying offer. Even if he did have the QO, it would be a minor consideration for a player this talented, but the lack of QO only helps.
Skubal is the best classic, prime-aged starter to hit the market in years. Shohei Ohtani was obviously a special case as a two-way player. In terms of pure pitchers, it’s expected that Skubal’s contract will set new benchmarks in terms of guarantee or average annual value or both. The record in the former category is Yoshinobu Yamamoto’s $325MM deal with the Dodgers. In the latter camp, both Max Scherzer and Justin Verlander got AAVs of $43.33MM late in their careers.
Skubal turns 30 next week. That makes him one year older than Gerrit Cole was when Cole got a nine-year deal from the Yankees seven years ago. But he’s also one year younger than Max Fried was when he got an eight-year deal from the Yanks two years ago. MLBTR predicted Skubal to get to nine years and a total of $425MM, an average annual value of $47.22MM. It wouldn’t be a surprise if Skubal’s representatives at the Boras Corporation set their sights even higher.
Almost every club needs starting pitching but only some of them are realistic fits for that kind of contract. There’s a chance that Skubal’s market doesn’t develop as expected and he pivots to a shorter-term deal with a higher AAV. Several free agents have gone this way over the years, including Kyle Tucker and Bo Bichette last year.
Both Jeff Passan of ESPN and Mark Feinsand of MLB.com have reported that Skubal has no interest in going that direction, but that’s to be expected at this stage. Most players go to free agency looking for the best long-term deal they can find. Pivoting to a short-term pact is usually a back-up plan.
The last time Boras had the top free agent in the class, he got Juan Soto a 15-year deal with the Mets. Soto didn’t have to sacrifice on AAV either. His $51MM AAV was a record at the time, when factoring in the deferrals in Ohtani’s deal. Tucker’s deal a year later passed Soto in the AAV department, though on a much shorter pact.
The possibility of a Tucker-like pivot to a short deal can’t be discounted but it’s probably safe to assume that, like with Soto, Boras will try to get Skubal a strong deal both in terms of length and AAV. Reporting has indicated that Skubal and his reps will be meeting with various suitors in the coming weeks with the hope of getting a deal done before the lockout begins on December 2.
As we do with the top free agents every offseason, we’ll run through each team’s chances of signing Skubal.
All payroll figures cited are from the MLBTR Payroll Tracker, courtesy of contributor Ethan Hullihen.
Known/Likely Suitors (listed alphabetically)
Blue Jays: The Blue Jays have been connected to just about every available marquee player in recent years. They missed on Ohtani and Soto but they signed Dylan Cease to a $210MM deal last offseason. They also reportedly offered Tucker a ten-year, $350MM deal a few months later, before Tucker would pivot to short-term offers from the Mets and Dodgers.
The Jays just had a bunch of money come off the books. Their competitive balance tax number was $317MM this year but they are projected for just $233MM next year. There is room for them to be aggressive. If it’s true that Skubal doesn’t want to go short term, perhaps that gives the Blue Jays an edge, as they were the one team publicly known to offer Tucker a viable long-term pact. The Jays have a meeting scheduled with Skubal but a report this week from Mitch Bannon and Will Sammon of The Athletic downplayed their pursuit a bit.
Toronto certainly needs rotation help. They have a solid front three with Cease, Trey Yesavage and José Soriano but there are lots of questions with their options for the final two spots. If they want to make a big splash after their disappointing 2026 season, signing Skubal would be the most straightforward way to do it.
Finish This Article
Subscribe to keep reading and unlock all Front Office benefits.
$34.99 / year
BEST VALUEJust $2.92/month
Annually
$3.99 / month
Billed monthly
Monthly
UNLOCK FRONT OFFICE UNLOCK FRONT OFFICE100% Money-Back Guarantee
Explore All Front Office Benefits
Unlimited access to subscriber-only articles from our expert MLB writers.
Ad-Free Reading Experience
Enjoy faster, distraction-free browsing across MLB Trade Rumors, Hoops Rumors, Pro Football Rumors, Pro Hockey Rumors, and the Trade Rumors app.
Explore our industry-leading MLB Payroll Tracker, Contract Tracker, Agency Database, and GM Tracker, with exclusive data and insights.
Live Subscriber Chats
Ask our MLB experts your burning hot stove questions in live chats.
Hence then, the article about the best fits for tarik skubal was published today ( ) and is available on MLBtraderumors ( Middle East ) The editorial team at PressBee has edited and verified it, and it may have been modified, fully republished, or quoted. You can read and follow the updates of this news or article from its original source.
Read More Details
Finally We wish PressBee provided you with enough information of ( The Best Fits For Tarik Skubal )
Also on site :
- Exclusive: OpenAI disbands its robotics team as its general models start running robots
- Costco’s Bakery Just Brought Back a Holiday Favorite Shoppers Wait All Year for—and It’s $4 Less Than Last Year
- ‘Top Chef’ Alum Leah Cohen’s Husband, Ben Byruch, Dies at 44