Tarik Skubal's free agency will be one of the top storylines of this offseason. The two-time Cy Young Award winner is the highest-profile pitcher to hit the market since Gerrit Cole in 2019. Cole reset the starting pitcher market with a nine-year, $324 million contract.

There could be as many as six teams that could meet with Skubal in the next week, the New York Post's Jon Heyman said on MLB Network. The Dodgers and Mets have long been linked to the best free agent on the market. The Blue Jays and now the Padres have emerged as potential sleepers in the sweepstakes.

The Latest Tarik Skubal Rumors During the GM Meetings

With Tarik Skubal on the market, there will be a lot of rumors surrounding the left-hander until he chooses a team. Here are the latest rumors concerning the two-time Cy Young Award winner.

The Blue Jays are expected to meet with Skubal, reports Will Sammon and Mitch Bannon of The Athletic. Toronto has been aggressive in the free-agent market. Most notably, they landed the top pitcher in free agency last year, Dylan Cease.

The Dodgers are unlikely to offer Skubal a record-breaking deal in terms of total guarantees. But they could try to convince him to return on a higher AAV deal, reports Katie Woo of The Athletic. That's the same approach that convinced Kyle Tucker to turn down a 10-year offer from the Blue Jays and sign with the Dodgers. Woo also notes that approach worked with Alex Bregman when he signed with the Red Sox in 2025.

The Padres are another team expected to meet with Skubal, according to Dennis Lin of The Athletic. San Diego is an interesting litmus test, as they aren't as big a market as the other explicitly mentioned teams, but have built a strong baseball culture. General manager AJ Preller is aggressive when it comes to acquiring talent. With a new ownership in place, San Diego could be in a position to stun the world.

Tarik Skubal Expected to Reset Pitching Market in Free Agency

Every contract prediction expects Skubal to reset the market this winter. The Athletic's Tim Britton projects a nine-year, $405 million contract. The median crowd-sourced projection on FanGraphs is eight years, $336 million.

The Dodgers and the Mets remain the favorites on the left-hander, who could reset the pitching market once again. Those are the two teams best equipped to absorb the hefty salaries that Skubal will command.

The growing consensus is that Skubal will want to wrap up his free agency before the Collective Bargaining Agreement expires on December 1. The changing economics coming to MLB with the next CBA and the renegotiation of national TV rights could have a major impact on spending.

With potential risk in a changing system, it makes sense for Skubal to try to leverage the current system while it's still in place. There will still be teams lining up to land the two-time Cy Young Award winner. ESPN's Jeff Passan noted that teams spent $1.5 billion on contracts just before the previous lockout began in 2021.