The San Diego Padres are in the hunt for the biggest fish on the free-agent market as they are interested in signing Tarik Skubal.
The Padres could lose starting pitchers Nick Pivetta and Michael King in free agency this winter, so they need help in their rotation.
Cue Skubal, who is the biggest free agent out there and could stay on the West Coast after finishing last season with the Los Angeles Dodgers, only with the Padres instead.
Padres Linked to Tarik Skubal
According to MLB insider Jon Morosi, the Padres are interested in signing Skubal, noting the team has a new ownership group that may be willing to make a big financial commitment to bring in the game’s best starting pitcher to San Diego.
“The Padres, under new ownership, already have expressed interest in Tarik Skubal,” Morosi wrote on his X.
Jose E. Feliciano and Kwanza Jones purchased the Padres for $3.9 million in August, the highest valuation for an MLB franchise in baseball history.
Given how much money they paid to buy the team, it makes sense that the Padres’ new owners would be willing to spend money to upgrade the roster and try to win the franchise’s first-ever World Series.
Tarik Skubal Expected to Command Massive Deal
Skubal, a two-time Cy Young Award winner in the American League with the Detroit Tigers, is the best starting pitcher in baseball. As such, he is expected to command a massive contract in free agency this winter.
There is a very good chance that Skubal will eclipse the $400 million barrier and potentially even get up to $500 million. Either way, he will almost certainly set the record for the most money ever guaranteed to a starting pitcher in MLB history, a record that right now belongs to Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Skubal’s teammate this season with the Dodgers, who signed a 12-year, $325 million deal with Los Angeles as a free agent out of Japan.
We’ll have to end up seeing how much money Skubal actually gets, but with so many big spenders interested in signing him, look for him to get a massive contract.
Padres Showing Interest in Tarik Skubal