The Dodgers didn’t get the ending they wanted, and that leaves one of their biggest questions hanging in the air: what happens next with Tarik Skubal?
Los Angeles’ season came to a halt Thursday night when the Milwaukee Brewers completed a sweep in the National League Championship Series. For a team built with championship expectations, the result was a jolt. Now the Dodgers head into an offseason that suddenly feels much bigger than a routine tune-up, and Skubal sits right at the center of it.
After the loss, the left-hander kept his future plans completely to himself.
“I’m not going to comment on my future really at all,” Skubal said in the clubhouse after the Game 4 loss. “Today sucks, you know, and that’s kind of where my head’s at.”
What he did say was a clear show of appreciation for the organization and everyone around it. Skubal, who spent three months with the Dodgers after they acquired him before the trade deadline, spoke warmly about the team’s environment and the people in the room.
“I mean, incredible organization, incredible teammates, incredible fanbase,” Skubal said. “Honored to wear the LA across your chest and on the hat.
Doesn’t make this feel any better. It sucks, but I think everybody in here gave it everything they had, and sometimes that’s just baseball."
“The group of guys, the clubhouse, the culture they have here, is real,” he added. “I was honored to be a part of it.”
His final outing of the season with Los Angeles came in Game 1 of the NLCS, when he went five innings, gave up five hits and two earned runs, and struck out seven on 81 pitches. He took the loss in what may wind up being his last appearance in a Dodgers uniform.
Even with the disappointment of the ending, Skubal said the experience meant a lot to him.
“It was great,” Skubal said. “The guys in this clubhouse are great.
The veterans who are here, great. The young guys are great.
It’s a group that works their [expletive] off and goes out and competes with the best of them."
“Extremely grateful for all the guys in this clubhouse and how they welcomed me and supported me,” he added. “Always had my back from day one. So extremely thankful.”
What comes next could be massive. Skubal is expected to land a deal worth more than $400 million this offseason, and whether the Dodgers are willing to go that far is now one of the defining questions of their winter.
In Other News...
Dodgers Face One Pitching Decision That Could Define Their Next Title Push
The Dodgers run to another postseason ended with a sweep at the hands of the Brewers in the NLCS, a reminder that even a loaded roster can be short of the last bit of pitching depth needed to keep a title streak alive. With a third straight World Series trophy slipping away, the offseason conversation in Los Angeles is already turning to how the staff gets sharper, deeper and more reliable when October pressure arrives again.
One path starts with keeping ace starter Tarik Skubal in the fold, but the broader case is for adding more help around him. Adrian Morejon, Alex Vesia and Clay Holmes all fit the kind of bullpen and pitching mix the Dodgers could use, offering recent performance and roster compatibility that could matter as much as star power in the next push. [Read more 🡒]
Dodgers Lose Familiar Catching Depth As Roster Picture Gets Murkier
Ben Rortvedt is back on the market after electing free agency following the 2026 season, another small but notable shift in the Dodgers catching picture. The 27-year-old had been brought back at the trade deadline to help cover for injured players, and he appeared in 16 major league games for Los Angeles after previously spending time with the club in late 2025.
For a Dodgers team that has leaned on familiar depth pieces when the roster has thinned, Rortvedts departure leaves one less experienced option in the mix. He had already bounced through the Cincinnati Reds and New York Mets organizations before returning to Los Angeles, and now the Dodgers will have to sort through a catching situation that feels a little less settled heading into the next stretch of roster planning. [Read more 🡒]
Max Muncy Sums Up The Dodgers Collapse In One Painful Reality
The Dodgers walked into the offseason carrying the sting of a playoff run that never quite broke their way. Swept by the Brewers in the National League Championship Series, Los Angeles saw its bid for a three-peat end in a series that turned especially frustrating because the club led in all four games but could not make those advantages stick, with the offense repeatedly coming up short in key spots.
Max Muncy was among the voices trying to make sense of it afterward, and his comments reflected how heavy the disappointment felt inside the clubhouse. He pointed to the grind of multiple long seasons as part of the reality the team has been living with, a reminder that even for a roster built to contend every year, the physical and mental toll can pile up when October ends in the kind of abrupt, painful fashion the Dodgers just endured. [Read more 🡒]