As two-time defending World Series champions, the Dodgers were already considered juggernauts before acquiring superstar left-hander Tarik Skubal from the Tigers before the Aug. 3 trade deadline. Although Skubal is not signed beyond this season, the Dodgers parted ways with three prospects for the back-to-back AL Cy Young winner in hopes that would make them nearly unbeatable in the playoffs. With Skubal in tow, the Dodgers finished with 100 wins, won the NL West for the fifth consecutive year and earned a first-round bye in the postseason. Skubal helped the Dodgers dispatch the Braves in the NLDS, but his season and bid to become the first National League team to win three straight World Series collapsed in the NLCS. The small-market Brewers, whose cash payroll is nearly $200 million less than that of the deep-pocketed Dodgers, outscored Los Angeles 21-11 en route to a four-game sweep. It wasn’t necessarily surprising that the Brewers won the series, as they entered the postseason with a major league-best 103-win campaign. In a pre-series poll, 59% of MLBTR readers picked Brew Crew to prevail. However, it was a surprise that a Dodgers team with a star-studded lineup and rotation (Skubal, Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Blake Snell and Tyler Glasnow) didn’t put up a better fight. The Dodgers’ offseason began much earlier than they expected when president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman executed the Skubal trade two and a half months ago. Their biggest question now is whether they will re-sign the soon-to-be 30-year-old Skubal, a Scott Boras client who appears poised to land the richest contract in history for a pitcher. That honor currently belongs to Yamamoto, whom the Dodgers signed out of Japan to a 12-year, $325 million deal in December 2023. The Dodgers, who haven’t shown much reluctance to dole out huge contracts in recent years, can’t be disappointed with the performance of hard-throwing Skubal down the stretch. In 10 regular-season starts as a Dodger, he pitched to a 2.61 ERA with 70 strikeouts and 13 walks in 62 innings. Skubal was also quite effective in two playoff outings, a Game 1 win over the Braves and a Game 1 loss to the Brewers. He posted a 2.45 ERA with 14 strikeouts and four walks in that 11-inning span. While Skubal clearly adapted well to the pressure-filled environment of Los Angeles, he wasn’t willing to discuss his long-term outlook Thursday night, saying (link via Sonja Chen of MLB.com): “I’m not really going to comment on my future at all. Today sucks, you know, and that’s where my head is at.” Skubal would have taken the ball for Game 5 of the National League Championship Series if the Dodgers had forced him, but his time in his uniform may be up. The impending lockout, which will begin on December 1, plays a key role in its uncertain future. If the owners somehow convince the players to accept a salary cap in the next collective bargaining agreement, or if harsher penalties are implemented for teams that pay the competitive balance tax, it would seemingly diminish the Dodgers’ chances of retaining him. As shown on MLBTR’s Payroll Tracker (via contributor Ethan Hullihen), the Dodgers already have over $368 million in cash commitments and over $387 million in CBT commitments for next year. Those numbers are significantly higher than the $245.3 million cap the owners proposed in May. If the Dodgers are unwilling or unable to retain Skubal, their rotation would still be in better shape than most teams. Yamamoto, Snell and Glasnow will return. Shohei Ohtani endured an injury-scarred second half and was never healthy enough to pitch in the same rotation as Skubal, but he doesn’t plan to give up his two-way role. Justin Wrobleski, Roki Sasaki, Emmet Sheehan and Gavin Stone (who missed the last two seasons with shoulder problems) are among other internal rotation possibilities for next year. Those four pale in comparison to Skubal (most pitchers do), but the mega-talented club should make the 2027 short list of championship favorites even if he leaves. Do you think he will? Will Tarik Skubal re-sign with the Dodgers? Total votes: 2221 Thanks for voting! Photos courtesy of Jayne Kamin-Oncea and Katie Stratman, Imagn Images
