Tarik Skubal gave Dodgers fans plenty to think about this week, even if he wasn’t talking about himself in the most direct way.
In an interview with the LA Times, Skubal spent a good chunk of time discussing what Stan Kroenke’s purchase of the Angels could mean for free agency in Anaheim once the sale is formally approved, which isn’t expected until early next year. When asked whether the move immediately makes the Angels a more appealing landing spot for star players, he didn’t hesitate.
"Absolutely," he told The Times. "Not only an owner that has obvious financial backing, but an owner that has turned the Rams into what the Rams are.
I think they're the Super Bowl favorite this year. There's an owner that cares about winning."
Skubal kept going, pointing to the kind of organizational details that matter to players beyond the field.
"The impact he brings to the Angels? You bring an owner that really cares about winning and is willing to do whatever it takes to win and invest, not only with players on the field but all the stuff behind the scenes, like clubhouse renovations. I'm sure there will be a lot of stuff there that changes to make it state-of-the-art, because all that stuff matters."
Taken on its own, the comments read like a checklist for what elite free agents want: money, winning, and a franchise willing to spend on the day-to-day environment around the team. That’s exactly why the remarks hit Dodgers fans a little differently, because those are the same traits that have helped make Los Angeles such a powerful draw in free agency for years.
Still, there’s no reason to turn those quotes into a full-blown alarm bell. Skubal also told The LA Times that he’s focused on helping the Dodgers push for a third straight World Series title this year and hasn’t put much real thought into his own free agency yet. He was speaking in broad terms about the league, not spelling out a personal shopping list.
Even so, it’s fair to wonder whether Scott Boras had a hand in the way this was framed. Boras has long made a habit of putting a player’s market out there early, building leverage and creating competition before negotiations ever get serious.
Maybe that’s all this was: a little market-setting, a little groundwork for what comes after the World Series. Either way, Dodgers fans who saw those quotes and felt a jolt weren’t imagining things. For now, though, Skubal is still wearing Dodger blue and trying to help the team win three in a row, and that’s the version of him that matters most right now.
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Dodgers Lose Two Bats Late And Suddenly Face A Bigger Concern
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Shohei Ohtani also remained out of the lineup, leaving Los Angeles to piece together its order with multiple regulars unavailable at once. The immediate concern is obvious enough, but the larger issue is how long the Dodgers can keep absorbing these late lineup changes before they start affecting the rhythm of a team built to score in waves. [Read more 🡒]
Dodgers May Have Unlocked Something Bigger In James Tibbs III
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Los Angeles adjusted Tibbs training to a hit-to-all-fields strategy, a simpler path that better matched his game and quickly showed up in his production at Triple-A Oklahoma City. For the Dodgers, the interesting part is not just that Tibbs looked more comfortable, but that the organization may have found a way to unlock a player another club tried to squeeze into a narrower offensive lane. [Read more 🡒]
Gavin Stones Dodgers Return Just Got Murkier At The Worst Time
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The latest snag is a minor right bicep issue that has kept Stone from pitching since Aug. 27, leaving his timeline unsettled once again. Dave Roberts said Stones health comes first and left open the possibility of a September contribution, but for now there is no firm plan, which makes a potential return feel much less certain than it did not long ago. [Read more 🡒]