The Los Angeles Dodgers fell a series shy of the World Series, and now they could be without one of their top acquisitions from this season.
According to Jim Bowden of The Athletic, the Chicago White Sox are listed as a top candidate to land Tarik Skubal during free agency.
Barring a potential lockout on Dec. 1, Skubal is decorated as the top free agent this offseason.
The two-time CY Young Award winner made his way to Los Angeles during the trade deadline last July and was as good as advertised, pitching in 10 games with a 5-2 record, 2.61 ERA, while having a strikeout-to-walk ratio of 70-13.
The Dodgers have never been shy about shelling out money towards big-ticket free agents in the past and would certainly have to give Skubal a high figure to remain in Los Angeles, as Bowden believes he will receive a deal that will make him the highest-paid pitcher in MLB history (in terms of AAV and guaranteed dollars.)
Bowden wrote that Skubal will likely receive a contract that will pay him around $350-$500 million, and have an annual salary that compares to Shohei Ohtani’s ($70 million AAV before deferrals) and Zach Wheeler ($42 million AAV).
Two years removed from having a record-breaking losing season where they went 41-121, the White Sox spent that time prior to the 2026 season moving off any high-end contracts that they had.
Last season, Chicago was one of the biggest surprises in baseball, when they turned their franchise around by finishing second in the American League Central with an 84-78 record that earned them a wild-card spot, which was followed by them sweeping the Astros.
The current White Sox regime has not been shy to make a splash in free agency, as they signed Munetaka Murakami to a 2-year $34 million deal last year.
As Chicago bolsters a pitching staff that features young core led by Sean Burke (3.34 ERA) and Grant Taylor (2.25 ERA), Skubal could be the right man to lead the White Sox starting rotation.
Despite Bowden’s belief that Chicago has the funds to pull off a Skubal signing, in an exclusive with The California Post, Dodgers owner Mark Walter told Jack Harris that he plans to continue handing out top-dollar contracts to free agents.
