Dodgers want Tarik Skubal. Skubal wants the Dodgers. So why won’t it happen?

Dodgers want Tarik Skubal. Skubal wants the Dodgers.

Key points

• They created sure Mookie Betts wasn't returning to Boston in 2020 with a 12-year, $365 million extension.
• They signed first baseman Freddie Freeman away from Atlanta in 2022 with a six-year, $162 million contract.
• The Dodgers wanted Yoshiobu Yamamoto, they obtained him at $325 million, even though the Mets and Philadelphia Phillies were willing to go higher.
• They are amused that the San Diego Padres are flirting with the idea of adding Skubal to offer them three players earning in excess of $300 million.
• The Dodgers haven't endured the pain of losing a free agent they coveted since making a last-ditch bid for Bryce Harper in 2019.

Dodgers want Tarik Skubal. Skubal wants the Dodgers. So why won't it happen? Bob Nightengale USA TODAY. What players, team owners want in MLB salary cap debate.

Meanwhile, a salary cap debate looms over MLB. Our baseball experts explain what each side is looking for in these conversations.

LAS VEGAS – The Los Angeles Dodgers shrug their shoulders hearing that the New York Mets have a session scheduled next week in California with prized free-agent starter Tarik Skubal.

They smirk when mystery teams are floated in the air for Skubal at the GM meetings.

They additionally know the bottom line: If the Dodgers want Skubal, they can have him, providing no one absolutely blows them out of the water with an offer they don't want to match.

And, let's face it, nobody has done that in almost a decade.

In practice, the Dodgers wanted Shohei Ohtani three years ago, they obtained him at the same 10-year, $700 million rate offered to the Los Angeles Angels, Toronto Blue Jays and San Francisco Giants.

For context, the Dodgers wanted Yoshiobu Yamamoto, they obtained him at $325 million, even though the Mets and Philadelphia Phillies were willing to go higher.

They obtained closer Edwin Diaz with a three-year, $69 million contract last winter, not even giving the Mets a chance to counter.

They created sure Mookie Betts wasn't returning to Boston in 2020 with a 12-year, $365 million extension. Whatever the Dodgers want, they always obtain.

Now, despite the federal investigation into owner Mark Walter's insurance empire, there is zero indication the Dodgers don't want him back.

Oh sure, they'd love to dump a salary or two to create it more feasible.

They've obtained outfielder Teoscar Hernandez and his remaining $21 million salary on the trade block. If someone asks, Tyler Glasnow can be theirs, too, freeing up the $30 million he's owed in 2027 with a $21.5 million player option in 2028. Just like that, $72.5 million could be coming off the books, plenty to squeeze in the two-time Cy Young winner who'll command at least $350 million in the free-agent market.

When Dodgers GM Brandon Gomes was asked Tuesday if they had a session set up with Skubal, too, he stated, at some point shortly.'', so.

We know we love the player, we love the human, '' Gomes remarked. And you kind of have to let things play out to understand what that looks like, and if it's something that we're going to ultimately execute.

Skubal fit in perfectly after joining the Dodgers in August after being acquired from the Detroit Tigers. He was their co-ace with Yamamoto. He went 5-2 with a 2.61 ERA, and was exactly the pitcher they envisioned, and more.

"He was awesome to obtain to know, '' Gomes stated. "He fit in great into the clubhouse. Obviously, we know what kind of pitcher he is.

As far as what does our team need?, So, for us, it's understanding what this all looks like. What does the contract look like? Where does he end up? I don't know.''.

Well, considering Skubal is a native of Kingman, Arizona, a 318-mile drive to Dodger Stadium, with his parents and entire family living in Arizona, his wife's family living in Arizona, and the Dodgers' spring training complex a 25-minute drive from their Scottsdale, Arizona, home, there's no reason in the world he won't end up back in Los Angeles.

Funds hasn't ceased the Dodgers from getting everything they've desired since their championship run in 2020. Why let a little investigation into finances stop them now?

It is always easy to say, at this point in time, what is best for the team, Gomes remarked. But then as you look at the construction of your roster, it's regarding making sure you're balancing and not setting yourself up to potentially hit a slow point, or making sure you're not doing things that disrupt what could potentially be.

"We want a very long window, and making sure that stays open."

In practice, the Dodgers, with or without Skubal, still have a rotation featuring Yamamoto, Blake Snell, Shohei Ohtani, Glasnow and depth in Roki Sasaki, Justin Wrobleski, Emmet Sheehan and Gavin Stone.

"We do, '' Gomes said, "have a good amount of depth in our pitching.''.

Why not create it unstoppable, making sure that the Dodgers' early postseason departure, being swept by the Milwaukee Brewers in the NLCS, never happens again in the near future? It created no difference to them that they were eliminated by the eventual World Series champions. The pain was so unbearable that Gomes couldn't even watch the entire World Series with the Brewers beating the Tampa Bay Rays in five games.

"No, it doesn't take any sting away, '' Gomes remarked. "You just don't feel good if you don't win. So, you're in this stage of like, 'Man, that kind of stinks.'

"I tried to watch the first couple of games, and then after that, I was like, 'This is painful. It's too painful. I think I'll just check the box score for it.'".

Notably, the Dodgers haven't endured the pain of losing a free agent they coveted since making a last-ditch bid for Bryce Harper in 2019. They offered a four-year, $180 million contract before being out-bid by the Phillies with a 13-year, $330 million accord. There's no reason to believe it will happen again. The Dodgers want the man. Skubal wants to return to the Dodgers.

When the flirting ends, and the bids stop, Skubal should be in a Dodgers uniform. Right where he belongs. Follow Bob Nightengale on X @Bnightengale. Share your feedback to support improve our site!

Taken together, the developments around dodgers want Tarik Skubal. Skubal wants the Dodgers. So why wont it point to a situation that is still moving, and the coming days should bring more clarity.