The Los Angeles Dodgers made the biggest trade deadline acquisition this season when they acquired Tarik Skubal, adding another frontline arm to an already imposing rotation.
The reigning Cy Young Award winner immediately became a key piece on a team built to win a third straight World Series championship, but the Dodgers’ investment only guaranteed short-lived returns.
Skubal is set to become a free agent at the end of the season and, after establishing himself as one of baseball’s elite pitchers, he is positioned to command a record-breaking contract moving forward.
“He’s continued to pitch at that high level with the Dodgers and looks well positioned to enter the offseason as the premier free agent on the market,” Jim Bowden wrote for The Athletic. “Assuming he remains healthy, there’s no doubt that he’ll soon become the highest paid pitcher based on the average annual value.”
Skubal’s pending free agency offered an intriguing backdrop as he discussed the changing landscape around the Los Angeles market following a surprising agreement for the Los Angeles Angels to change ownership next season.
Shortly after billionaire Stan Kroenke agreed to buy the Dodgers’ crosstown rivals, Skubal suggested that free agents like himself would now be drawn to the team.
“You want to feel wanted,” Skubal told the Los Angeles Dodgers’ Bill Shaikin. “And you have an owner that is willing to do whatever it takes to win (in Kroenke)… Guys tend to gravitate toward teams that are winning and teams that are in the playoff hunt every single year, with World Series aspirations every single year. I think free agents gravitate toward that in general. I’m sure that will be the case.”
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The stakes surrounding Skubal’s next contract are significant.
“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,” Kiley McDaniel wrote for ESPN.
The Angels’ potential emergence as a serious free-agent destination is where Skubal’s comments become particularly interesting for the Dodgers.
Stan Kroenke’s pending purchase of the Angels could fundamentally change the franchise’s spending power and perception around the league. His track record with the Los Angeles Rams gives the Angels a model for what significant investment in players, facilities and organizational infrastructure could look like.
Skubal specifically pointed to those factors when discussing what free agents notice about an organization. And with his own free agency virtually guaranteed ahead, he’ll be gravitating toward the Angels soon.
This article was originally published on Forbes.com
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