The Dodgers have one clear offseason mission, and it sits at the center of everything they do: get Tarik Skubal back in the fold.
That’s easier said than done. Skubal is a two-time Cy Young winner, and while Los Angeles has other paths it could chase if he lands elsewhere, none of them come close to matching what he brings. After the Dodgers fell in the NLCS to the eventual World Series champions, the Milwaukee Brewers, the urgency only grows.
But the Dodgers won’t be alone in the chase.
The New York Mets are expected to jump into the bidding, though their 2026 campaign was such a dumpster fire that money may be the only real selling point they can offer. More threatening for Los Angeles, though, are the Yankees and Cubs, two teams that create real problems for the Dodgers in different ways.
For the Dodgers, the money picture is already tricky. They’ve leaned toward short-term, high-AAV deals lately, including the one they gave Kyle Tucker.
With so much deferred money already on the books, there’s only so much more future payroll they can pile up. That gets even messier if they decide to chase another massive contract that stretches a decade or longer.
And that’s where Skubal’s market starts to get dangerous. There’s a belief that his next deal could go beyond 10 years and climb past $400 million. Once the Yankees and Cubs enter the mix, that kind of number starts to feel even more realistic.
New York suddenly has the financial muscle to make a run. The Yankees just landed a $2.6 billion influx through a deal with private equity firm Apollo Global Management, and their books are also set to open up. Giancarlo Stanton and Ryan McMahon are both entering the final year of their deals, which frees up $31 million from those two contracts beginning in 2028.
The Yankees are "thinking about" signing Tarik Skubal, per @kileymcd
New York would then trade from its stockpile of pitching if they land Skubal in free agency. pic.twitter.com/Q4fTR8837u
- Just Baseball (@JustBB_Media) November 3, 2026
They also have a very Yankees reason to push hard here. After the Dodgers were knocked out of the NLCS, New York was embarrassed by the way the Tampa Bay Rays handled them in the ALDS, which only adds to the pressure around their title drought. Skubal would give them a super rotation, and that kind of move could let them deal from their pitching depth to address other needs the free-agent market might not solve.
Chicago brings a different kind of threat. Of the three clubs, the Cubs may have the clearest need for an ace.
The Dodgers have Yoshinobu Yamamoto. The Yankees have Cam Schlittler.
The Cubs, meanwhile, are staring at a rotation where Justin Steele is the top name, and he hasn’t pitched in a big league game since April 7, 2025. If it’s not Steele, then it’s the oft-injured Edward Cabrera in that role.
That’s a thin setup, and it shows.
The Cubs also have room to spend. Matthew Boyd and Carson Kelly both declined 2028 options, and that has opened up a lot of payroll flexibility.
Spotrac had last year’s Cubs roster at an adjusted payroll of $249.2 million. Right now, their 2027 number sits at $152.1 million, and even after arbitration raises and possible extensions for current players, they still have plenty of breathing room.
They can also sell Skubal on something the Dodgers and Yankees can’t: being the guy. In Los Angeles and New York, he’d be one of several headline arms.
On the North Side, he’d be the centerpiece. For a competitor like Skubal, that matters.
So while the Dodgers are absolutely still in the race, this is no lock. Skubal is a generational talent, and teams are going to come out of the woodwork for him. Some of them, including the Yankees and Cubs, may even have the upper hand.
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