Tarik Skubal Projects for 8-Year, $350 Million Deal as Dodgers Top $1 Billion in Deferrals
Updated
Updated · Bleacher Report · Aug 3
Tarik Skubal Projects for 8-Year, $350 Million Deal as Dodgers Top $1 Billion in Deferrals
3 articles · Updated · Bleacher Report · Aug 3
Summary
$350 million over eight years is the projected price for Tarik Skubal after the Dodgers traded for the left-hander, who can reach free agency next offseason.
Skubal's market is expected to be pushed by his age-29 profile and top-of-the-rotation status, with Yoshinobu Yamamoto's 12-year, $325 million deal and Gerrit Cole's nine-year, $324 million pact as key benchmarks.
Los Angeles could again lean on deferred payments to make a long-term deal work; ESPN reported in December 2025 that the club already owed more than $1 billion in deferrals through 2047.
Shohei Ohtani accounts for the biggest share of that burden, with $680 million scheduled to be paid from 2034 to 2043, underscoring how the Dodgers have built a title-chasing roster without a salary cap.
Labor uncertainty could shape any negotiation, with an offseason lockout and a potential fight over adding a salary cap likely to influence how aggressively clubs bid for Skubal.