LOS ANGELES — ESPN’s Jeff Passan wrote Thursday that Los Angeles Dodgers left-hander Tarik Skubal could get double the most money ever given to a free agent pitcher 30 or older, provided Major League Baseball does not have a salary cap in place when he signs. That mark belongs to Stephen Strasburg, who received $245 million on a seven-year deal.
Passan also wrote that Skubal is expected to break the record for any pitching contract, which Yoshinobu Yamamoto holds at $325 million. Skubal turns 30 in November. Passan expects a contract that large to cover at least 10 years. Only a few teams are willing to pay $50 million a year for 33 starts, by his account.
The collective bargaining agreement expires Dec. 1. A lockout is expected less than a month after free agency opens, according to Passan. Of all the players in the class, Skubal is the one whose timing will draw the most attention, Passan wrote, and he expects Skubal to be at the center of the salary cap debate for as long as he is unsigned.
Tarik Skubal’s 2026 Season With Detroit and Los Angeles
Early this season, Skubal had surgery to remove loose bodies from his pitching elbow, a procedure Passan described as NanoScope surgery. Since returning, Skubal has a 2.93 ERA and a 7-to-1 strikeout-to-walk ratio, according to Passan.
Detroit traded Skubal to the Dodgers on Aug. 1 for three minor leaguers. At the time of the deal, he was 7-5 with a 2.79 ERA over 96 2/3 innings with 14 walks and 116 strikeouts. In five July starts before the trade, Skubal had a 2.03 ERA and 41 strikeouts in 31 innings.
Skubal won the American League Cy Young Award in 2024 and 2025, and he won the pitching Triple Crown in 2024. The Detroit Tigers drafted him in the ninth round in 2018 out of Seattle University.
Tarik Skubal’s Arsenal and the Rest of the Free Agent Class
Skubal’s fastball sits at 97 mph from the left side, according to Passan, who ranked his changeup among the best pitches in baseball. Passan put the slider not far behind the changeup. He also wrote that Skubal commands every pitch in his mix.
Passan described the rest of the class as weak, though he still called starting pitching its clear strength. The fourth-hardest-throwing starter in the class averages 94.3 mph, by his count.
The Dodgers acquired Skubal as the two-time defending World Series champions. Skubal is represented by Scott Boras, The Ringer reported at the time of the trade.
