Ace left-hander Tarik Skubal watched the Dodgers get kicked out of the dugout in Game 4 of the NLCS on Thursday night. Now Skubal’s next stop is free agency this coming offseason. He will be the best free agent on the market and will command absurd money before signing on the dotted line.
Unsurprisingly, after Game 4, Skubal didn’t have much to say about it.
“I’m not going to comment on my future,” he said, via MLB.com. “It’s bad today, you know, and I’m in such a head.”
Skubal heads into free agency having made the playoffs three straight years and had a 2.13 ERA in eight playoff starts, but his teams failed to make the World Series. In fact, this year’s trip to the NLCS with the Dodgers was the deepest he’s ever been in the playoffs. The Tigers made the ALDS in both 2024 and 2025 before being eliminated.
Skubal, 29, won the American League Cy Young in both 2024 and 2025. This season, he suffered an elbow injury that required surgery, a new procedure called nanoScope surgery. He recovered remarkably quickly, only missing starts from April 29 to June 13.
Nine starts later, and the Tigers — despite being just 2 ½ games out of a playoff spot — have decided to miss the postseason and lose Skuba to free agency. They traded him to the Dodgers at the deadline for a package that included top prospect Zyhir Hope.
Between the two teams this season, Skubal made 26 starts and went 12-7 with a 2.72 ERA (155 ERA+), 0.96 WHIP and 186 strikeouts in 158 ⅔ innings. His 4.6 WAR was down from 6.7 and 6.4 the previous two seasons, respectively, but he made five fewer starts.
Normally, a pitcher like Skubal hitting free agency would mean an offer in the mid-nine-figure range, but this time there’s uncertainty with the CBA expiring and ownership heading toward the salary cap. It’s possible that Skubal’s contract will have to wait until an agreement is reached between the two sides and teams know what they have to work with financially. Conversely, a team can be incredibly aggressive in trying to grandfather a deal under the previous CBA. Time will tell.
For now, Skubal and the rest of the Dodgers are going home for the winter.