What Dodgers’ Tarik Skubal said about looming free agency after being swept by Brewers
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When the Los Angeles Dodgers pulled off a blockbuster trade for Tarik Skubal, there was an uproar among MLB fans that the Dodgers were stacking the odds ever so heavily in their favor yet again in their quest for a third-consecutive World Series title. Making matters worse, some believe that the Detroit Tigers should have accepted the Milwaukee Brewers’ trade offer for Skubal instead of the Dodgers’.
However, the Dodgers’ acquisition of Skubal did not prove to be game-breaking at all. The Brewers made quick work of them in the NLCS, sending them home with a four-game sweep courtesy of a 6-4 comeback victory in Game 4 on Thursday. Skubal, for his part, gave LA five solid innings in Game 1, allowing just two earned runs, but the Dodgers weren’t able to give him some run support in a 2-1 defeat.
Now, Skubal will be headed to free agency at the end of the postseason, and the Dodgers are surely going to try and protect their investment by re-signing the 29-year-old southpaw to a huge contract. Nevertheless, the sting of their NLCS sweep at the hands of the Brewers is still very fresh in Skubal’s mind, and he doesn’t have any interest in discussing his future quite yet.
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“I’m not going to comment on my future really at all. Today sucks, you know, and that’s kind of where my head’s at,” Skubal said, per Sonja Chen of MLB.com.
Skubal is undoubtedly going to be the best starting pitcher to hit the open market come hot stove season, so the Dodgers are going to face stiff competition for his signature. But LA might be more inclined to flex their financial might in their quest to redeem themselves after such an abrupt end to their three-peat bid.
In 10 starts for the Dodgers in the regular season, Skubal posted a 2.61 ERA in 62.0 innings. He followed that up by allowing just three earned runs total in his two postseason starts for LA (11.0 innings).
According to industry insiders polled by ESPN, Skubal is projected to sign a contract worth around $355 million for eight years ($44.375 million AAV).
Related: Dodgers manager Dave Roberts’ instant reaction to shockingly being swept by Brewers in NLCS
