Tarik Skubal is shaping up to be the name that drives the next big offseason bidding war, and according to USA Today’s Bob Nightengale, it may not be much of a war at all.
Nightengale is predicting a two-team race for Skubal once he hits free agency after the 2026 season, with only the Los Angeles Dodgers and New York Mets expected to make serious pushes for the back-to-back Cy Young Award winner. In Nightengale’s view, everyone else is on the outside looking in.
"The cold-hearted truth is that there will be only two teams who will make serious bids for his services: The Dodgers and New York Mets. That's it," Nightengale writes.
That means the Dodgers, who are already known for their willingness to spend, would once again be in the thick of the offseason’s biggest chase. The Mets, though, are expected to be right there with them.
Nightengale’s prediction also sets up another round of Dodgers-Mets competition after last offseason, when Los Angeles beat New York to the punch and landed both Edwin Diaz and Kyle Tucker on massive new deals. This time, the prize would be Skubal, who is expected to command the kind of money reserved for the game’s elite arms.
Nightengale does not see the New York Yankees, Tigers, Philadelphia Phillies, Milwaukee Brewers, or any other club as serious players in the sweepstakes. For now, the market appears to be narrowed to two heavyweight suitors, with Skubal sitting at the center of it all.
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