'Sleeper Team' Named In Tarik Skubal Sweepstakes This Offseason

The LA Dodgers are home and cooled, their three-peat chances put to bed. That means the future of Tarik Skubal will become a big subject of conversation around the team, as they consider their options for 2027. 

The two-time Cy Young Award winner was acquired at the trade deadline from the Detroit Tigers and is now an unrestricted free agent. Skubal went 5-2 with a 2.61 ERA in his time with LA, with a 70:13 strikeout-to-walk ratio in 62 innings. 

But he will be looking for a contract in free agency that's predicted to be about $400 million. Sure, the Dodgers can afford it. But so can the New York Mets, who have vowed to match any offer that Skubal gets on the market. 

Those are the obvious names. But who else will be in the mix?

Top 'sleeper team' in Skubal sweepstakes named

When Kiley McDaniel of ESPN surveyed league insiders about Skubal's free agency, one club came up as the most significant "sleeper team" in the sweepstakes: The San Diego Padres. 

In most high-end free agent bidding processes, there's at least one surprising or mystery team. After circling back with some sources after the projections were in, the Padres seemed to be the consensus pick for the most serious bidder in this group.

Other teams mentioned in that group were the Los Angeles Angels and Chicago White Sox. The smart betting says that Skubal will not go to either of those two teams. 

Skubal is a Scott Boras client, so don't expect him to take anything less than the absolute largest guaranteed money out there. 

The Padres have been known to spend big in the past; we'll see if they're ready to pony up the bag this offseason.