Free agency is officially here in MLB because super-agent Scott Boras went on the record to discuss one of his top clients in a way only he can.
Boras is the agent for two-time Cy Young Award winner Tarik Skubal, by far the top player on the market. Speaking with reporters Wednesday, he described “a dominant and strong Sku-bull market” and said “there is only one Tarik card.”
Boras added that interested suitors are “ready for the Skubal dive.”
The expiration of the current collective bargaining agreement at 11:59 p.m. ET on Dec. 1 is looming over the entire sport, and it will inevitably impact some free agents. Boras suggested it’s still business as usual in some cases.
ESPN’s Jeff Passan reported earlier this month that Skubal is expected to sign prior to the CBA deadline.
According to the Associated Press’ Ronald Blum, six teams are in the running but only three were confirmed: New York Mets, Los Angeles Dodgers and San Diego Padres. Jon Heyman of the New York Post then identified the Toronto Blue Jays as a contender.
There’s some risk in signing Skubal to the kind of contract he’s in line to earn when so much about MLB’s financial outlook in 2027 and beyond is murky. League owners have proposed dramatic measures such as a hard salary cap and a maximum length on contracts to free agents.
ESPN’s Kiley McDaniel projected Skubal will get $352 million over eight years, while The Athletic’s Tim Britton went a little higher (nine years, $405 million). Spending $40-plus million on a starting pitcher is a sizable cost on its own. Now imagine doing that with an even more restrictive cap structure in place.
Still, the opportunity to land Skubal might be too good for a playoff contender to pass up before free agency potentially grounds to a halt.