"After three seasons with a face-of-the-franchise-type superstar to headline the winter, there is no Aaron Judge, Shohei Ohtani or Juan Soto in the 2025-26 free agent class. But there is still one player whose potential availability could rock the offseason ahead: Tarik Skubal. Why would the Detroit Tigers possibly move their ace on the heels of his second straight American League Cy Young Award and the team's second consecutive postseason appearance?"
"Quite simply, because keeping Skubal in Detroit is going to become very expensive, very soon. The 28-year-old left-hander will enter the final year of his contract in 2026 before he is scheduled to reach free agency after the season. If he does hit the market next winter, Skubal has a chance of surpassing Los Angeles Dodgers ace Yoshinobu Yamamoto's record $325 million contract, and he could even become baseball's first $400 million pitcher."
Tarik Skubal emerges as the most consequential potential free agent in 2025-26 despite the absence of superstar hitters in the class. Skubal won his second straight American League Cy Young and helped Detroit reach the postseason for a second consecutive year. The left-hander will enter 2026 in the final year of his contract and could reach free agency after the season, with projections suggesting he could exceed Yoshinobu Yamamoto's $325 million record and potentially become the first $400 million pitcher. Eleven industry insiders offered perspectives and presented three primary options for Detroit's decision-making this offseason, with trading Skubal seen as the least popular choice.
Read at ESPN.com
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