Owners Line Up for Tarik Skubal as Scott Boras Touts a 'Sku-bull Market' Ahead of a Possible Lockout

The most sought-after pitcher on the free-agent market has a waiting room full of suitors, and his agent made sure everyone in Las Vegas knew it.

At baseball's general managers meetings on Wednesday, Scott Boras said the bidding for left-hander Tarik Skubal has become a "dominant and strong Sku-bull market," Yahoo Sports reported ^[1]. When his phone rang during his annual news conference, the veteran agent joked that it was one more owner pleading for a meeting with his client, the Associated Press reported ^[3].

The Los Angeles Dodgers, New York Mets, San Diego Padres and Toronto Blue Jays already have confirmed appointments with Skubal, USA Today reported ^[2]. Yahoo Sports described the Dodgers and Mets as the early front-runners, with the Mets viewed as the favorites ^[1]. The New York Post reported that the Mets' sit-down is scheduled for next week ^[5].

A Cy Young arm on the open market

Skubal is a two-time Cy Young Award winner ^[1]. From 2024 through 2026 he won 43 games over 546 innings with a 2.42 ERA and led the majors with 18 wins above replacement by FanGraphs' measure, ESPN reported ^[4]. The Dodgers acquired him from the Detroit Tigers ahead of the August trade deadline ^[1], but Los Angeles was swept by the Milwaukee Brewers in the National League Championship Series before he could make a scheduled Game 5 start ^[4]. The Brewers went on to beat the Tampa Bay Rays in the World Series ^[4].

Free agency opened with a five-day exclusive negotiating window for the Dodgers before the rest of the league could make its pitch, ESPN reported ^[4]. Now the whole field is in play.

The money

The figures are enormous. Skubal is seeking a deal worth more than $325 million, which would make him the highest-paid pitcher in the game's history, USA Today reported ^[2]. The current record for total value belongs to Yoshinobu Yamamoto's $325 million contract with the Dodgers from December 2023, and the record for average annual value, $43.3 million, is shared by Max Scherzer and Justin Verlander, according to Yahoo Sports ^[1].

Some executives told ESPN they believe Skubal could approach $400 million, though not everyone agrees. "The price will be huge, but I don't think he's touching 400," one executive told the network ^[4].

The Mets have both the need and the means. Yahoo Sports reported that New York lacks an ace to pair with Nolan McLean, and president of baseball operations David Stearns noted that the club has not given a long-term deal to a starting pitcher since he arrived ^[1]. Owner Steve Cohen has already spent heavily, including the record contract that brought Juan Soto to Queens ^[1]. In Los Angeles, Skubal would join a rotation with Shohei Ohtani, Blake Snell, Tyler Glasnow and Yamamoto all under contract for 2027, ESPN reported ^[4].

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The clock is ticking toward Dec. 1

There is another reason this market may move fast. Baseball's five-year labor agreement expires Dec. 1, and a lockout is widely expected to begin the next day, the AP reported ^[3]. Owners have proposed a salary cap, the first such proposal since the 1994-95 strike, while management has offered to raise the minimum salary to $900,000 ^[3]. A stoppage would be the sport's 10th since 1972 ^[3].

Boras, who represents about two dozen free agents, reminded reporters that 27 contracts worth more than $1.4 billion were announced on the day before the last lockout in 2021, the AP reported ^[3]. He said he expects Skubal to sign before the Dec. 1 deadline, according to USA Today, and insisted players will not back down in the labor fight. "Players are emboldened by the success of this game," he said ^[2].

The take

Strip away the puns and the poker faces, and this is a story baseball fans can cheer: excellence still gets rewarded. Skubal earned this market the old-fashioned way, every fifth day, by taking the ball and dominating for three straight seasons.

But fans also deserve better than another winter of lawyers and locked doors. The game is coming off a World Series won by Milwaukee, the first title for a small-market club since 2015, according to USA Today ^[2]. That is proof that good scouting, patient player development and smart management can still beat a bigger checkbook. Owners and players alike should remember who pays for all of it: the families who buy the tickets, the hot dogs and the jerseys. Get a labor deal done, let the stars sign, and play ball.

Whoever lands Skubal will be buying more than an arm. After the Dodgers' season ended, he spoke warmly about the culture he found in their clubhouse, ESPN reported ^[4]. In a 162-game grind, character and chemistry matter, and the winning bidder will be counting on both.