It’s clear the Detroit Tigers have to decide how important Tarik Skubal is for their future. Inking him to, most likely, the most expensive deal for a pitcher ever, with a starting price upwards of $400 million, would essentially prevent Detroit from getting the necessary help around him. The Tigers’ lack of run support cost him another shot at a playoff run in 2025.
To give Skubal even close to his asking price would prevent this roster from getting better, which means their best option is to trade him, which several national MLB insiders have hinted as the likely move this winter. But then his value comes into question, and who would fork up enough prospects to finalize a deal with his free agency on the horizon?
Realistically, the Tigers are in an interesting position. That said, when Skubal does become a free agent, the question then becomes who checks all the boxes to make probably the most expensive pitcher happy. It’s few and far between, but here are the best landing spots for Skubal.
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1. New York Mets
The New York Mets' top priorities will be adding a first baseman and looking for ways to improve their starting rotation. I don’t think the Mets will trade for Skubal this year, but I think they’re going to be a big player to land him in the 2026 free agency period. They obviously added Juan Soto last year and have Francisco Lindor as well.
They have a strong enough offense to make it appealing for Skubal, though they did struggle at times in 2025. The Mets seem the most appealing because like the Tigers, he’d be the face of the rotation. He’ll surely be the ace wherever he goes, but the Mets need a lot of depth in their starting rotation and adding Skubal makes the most sense for them as they build around youngsters Nolan McLean and Jonah Tong.
The Mets seemingly feel like they should be contending for a championship every year, yet somehow always end up coming short. They’ve spent the money for hitters, now it’s time to invest in the rotation, and making Skubal the highest-paid pitcher in MLB is right up Steve Cohen’s alley.
2. Los Angeles Dodgers
The Los Angeles Dodgers are fresh off their second straight World Series title and could be three straight winners by the time they enter the Skubal sweepstakes in 2026. This past World Series is all the proof Skubal needs to land with baseball’s most dominant franchise as of late. They were the kings of timely runs this year, and that’s the one thing the Tigers don’t have. They also have a pitching staff so deep that they didn’t bat an eye when they needed 27 innings of baseball to get two wins during the Fall Classic.
The Dodgers seem to be bulletproof in the financial department so having one of baseball’s most expensive players (Shohei Ohtani) and adding the most expensive pitcher (Skubal) just seems logical. Yoshinobu Yamamoto probably drove up Skubal’s price after his extra-innings performance in Game 7, as elite pitchers truly are hard to come by. That said, if the Dodgers want Skubal, they will get him, and it would again be a match made in heaven. If you’re Skubal, you can’t be mad going from Detroit to L.A. as it’s nearly night and day in terms of the offensive support you’d have.
Just like Soto, Ohtani and a litany of other star players, they go where the money is, and that’s only a few teams that can combine that sort of wealth while also having a competitive roster that will be contending year after year.
3. New York Yankees
Like both the Dodgers and Mets, the New York Yankees have just about everything you’d want if you were a starting pitcher. The Yankees missed out on keeping Juan Soto, there’s no way they let the Mets or Dodgers steal Skubal from them too. It would be a slap in the face, and probably send the fan base into a frenzy.
Skubal will essentially get to pick wherever he goes and none of these teams really stick out from the others. Sure, the Dodgers are probably the favorite because they seemingly find a way to land just about everyone. But that doesn’t mean the Mets or Yankees don’t have a fighting chance.
Each of these teams, though unique, provide the same opportunity, one Skubal doesn’t have in Detroit. They’re contending teams with a competitive roster and copious amounts of money to sway him. It’s what will make his free agency period just as anxious as Soto’s was because any one of these teams give him something Detroit can’t.