The fast friendship forged by Los Angeles Dodgers pitchers Blake Snell and Tarik Skubal was the substance of viral videos and in-game interviews. Soon, it will be the subject of rampant speculation.
As Skubal heads into free agency, many questions will surround the best available starting pitcher on the market — and the best available in any free-agent crop since perhaps Yoshinobu Yamamoto three years ago.
One question was already being asked before the champagne dried in the visitors' clubhouse at Dodger Stadium: Can Snell convince Skubal to stay in Los Angeles?
The question is based on somewhat of a false premise. Money talks. Skubal's family will talk, too. Skubal will probably take his wife's and agent's advice before he takes Snell's.
It's worth noting here that Snell and Skubal share an agent, Scott Boras, who negotiated a five-year, $182 million contract for Snell in December 2024. What does that mean in October, before the World Series begins, with a new Collective Bargaining Agreement still to be negotiated? Who knows.
But let the speculation begin.
“I just said, he can’t leave me, especially on these terms,” Snell told the California Post on Thursday, after the Dodgers were eliminated in Game 4 of the National League Championship Series. “The goal is to win a World Series, and we weren’t able to do that … So now that it’s over, it’s like, ‘Don’t leave.’ ”
According to the Post, Snell said the two pitchers did not discuss Skubal's future plans during the season. But he made his own rooting interest clear: "I would love nothing more than for him to be back.”
The case to sign Skubal is strong. His 21.3 fWAR over the past four seasons leads all MLB pitchers. The two Cy Young Awards he won, in 2024 and 2025 with the Detroit Tigers, don't begin to take into account his October performance. Skubal has a 2.13 ERA in eight postseason starts (50.2 innings) during that same four-year span.
In other words, Skubal is exactly the type of pitcher the Dodgers typically target in free agency. Trouble is, other teams will be interested too. Some might be willing to spend more, even if few are able.
Pending free agents can't negotiate with new teams until after the World Series ends, let alone sign elsewhere. This offseason could be particularly complicated by the expiration of the CBA on Dec. 1. Without knowing the core economic principles that underpin the next CBA, which teams will be willing to sign any players to nine-figure contracts?
Snell, for one, doesn't have to worry about that. He just wants his best work friend back.
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