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By Andrew Gould
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Tarik Skubal enters the MLB offseason as the best available free agent. Many teams won't be willing or able to give the ace a massive contract, but it's not a given that he returns to the Los Angeles Dodgers.
The two-time Cy Young Award winner could demand a record-setting deal that limits his market, leaving the heavy-spending Dodgers and New York Mets as sensible landing spots. However, ESPN's David Schoenfield labeled the Chicago Cubs as Skubal's best fit.
"The Cubs are the perfect fit: a big-market franchise in desperate need of an ace after the rotation ranked 18th in ERA and 21st in strikeout rate," Schoenfield wrote. "On top of that, Shota Imanaga, Kevin Gausman, David Peterson and Matthew Boyd (if he exercises his opt-out) are free agents and every other starter is coming off an injury (Cade Horton will miss most or all of 2027). While the Cubs have room to spend due to all the expired contracts, Seiya Suzuki and Ian Happ are also key free agents, so the front office might ultimately decide to spread the money around rather than spend a huge chunk on signing Skubal."
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The MLB Players Association confirmed Friday that Boyd exercised his opt-out to enter free agency. Midseason acquisition Clay Holmes also reportedly declined his $12 million player option to test the open market.
Justin Steele hasn't pitched since April of 2025, but he could return from elbow surgery next season. He would rejoin a ransacked rotation for a team that earned a wild-card berth with 89 wins this year.
Skubal would certainly help, but the Cubs would probably need to make the 29-year-old southpaw their highest-paid player in franchise history. They also may have to beat out the Dodgers and Mets for his services.
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Schoenfield also suggested a more surprising NL Central fit in the St. Louis Cardinals, who could expedite their rebuild after a 77-85 season. However, the analyst noted that they haven't paid $100 million or more to a free agent since 2010.
Of course, the Dodgers still loom large as a candidate to retain the star they acquired from the Detroit Tigers before the trade deadline.
"Skubal clearly enjoyed his time in Los Angeles," Schoenfield theorized, "and this might be the final opportunity for the Dodgers to make one more monster free agent signing before any new CBA rules."
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