The Los Angeles Dodgers enter the offseason with one fewer major rival in the pursuit of Tarik Skubal after a former Blue Jays player indicated Toronto is unlikely to make a serious run at the left-hander.
Skubal joined the Dodgers in a trade from the Detroit Tigers just before the 2026 deadline. The move came after the sides failed to agree on a contract extension, with Detroit receiving three prospects in return. Los Angeles hoped the addition would help secure a third straight World Series title, but the Milwaukee Brewers swept the Dodgers in the National League Championship Series.
Skubal is now an unrestricted free agent and is projected to land a record-setting deal for a pitcher. Former Toronto outfielder Kevin Pillar said he does not see the Blue Jays pursuing him.
“I don’t,” Pillar said when asked about the chances of Toronto extending an offer. “They got their ace, they got Dylan Cease and as much as you want to build your team around having this elite starting pitching, I think the Blue Jays have good starting pitching. You can never have enough starting pitching.”
“I think the Blue Jays learned this year that they need to distribute that money over position groups as opposed to going out to sign Skubal,” Pillar added.
The Blue Jays signed Cease to a seven-year, $210 million contract last winter. They reached the American League Championship Series in 2025 but missed the playoffs this season.
For the Dodgers, removing Toronto from the equation narrows the field of clubs with both the financial resources and recent history of chasing top free agents. Skubal went 5-2 with a 2.61 ERA across 10 regular-season starts after arriving in Los Angeles. Overall in 2026 he finished 12-7 with a 2.72 ERA, 0.96 WHIP and 186 strikeouts in 158 2/3 innings over 26 starts.
He has left the door open to a return to Detroit.
“I would love to play my whole career in Detroit. I would love to,” Skubal said in an interview with Pardon My Take. “And hopefully those negotiations can pick back up in November once the playoffs are done. We’ll see where that goes. Hopefully they’re involved with everything. I would love to return.”
He also discussed the Tigers’ season.
“This wasn’t the way the season was supposed to go. Going into the offseason, [with] the people that we acquired through free agency and who we signed, I’m like, ‘This is the World Series team,’” Skubal said. “This is the team that I’m gonna go and win a World Series and beat anybody. It doesn’t matter what’s going on.”
Other potential suitors remain, including the New York Mets, Chicago Cubs and Philadelphia Phillies. Some analysts have also listed the Chicago White Sox. Yoshinobu Yamamoto’s 12-year, $325 million deal with the Dodgers is still the largest contract for a pitcher. Former general manager Jim Bowden has suggested Skubal could command between $350 million and $500 million.
The Dodgers already have a three-month working relationship with Skubal. He allowed one run in six innings in a win over the Atlanta Braves in the National League Division Series and gave up two runs in five innings in a loss to Milwaukee in the NLCS.
Skubal is not eligible for a qualifying offer. The current collective bargaining agreement expires Dec. 1, which could influence the timing of free-agent signings. He returned from an elbow procedure in June and pitched effectively the rest of the year.
While the Dodgers fell short of a three-peat, retaining Skubal would give them continuity at the top of a rotation that already includes Yamamoto. With one significant bidder potentially sidelined, the club faces a slightly clearer path as the market opens.
