The Los Angeles Dodgers’ hopes of re-signing pitcher Tarik Skubal this offseason may face new competition from an unexpected source: the Chicago White Sox.
According to Jim Bowden of The Athletic, the White Sox are listed as a top candidate to sign Skubal in free agency, setting up a potential bidding battle for the game’s most sought-after pitcher.
Skubal, a two-time Cy Young Award winner, arrived in Los Angeles via trade last July and delivered immediately, going 5-2 with a 2.61 ERA across 10 games for the Dodgers, with a strikeout-to-walk ratio of 70-13. The team fell a series short of reaching the World Series this year.
Barring a possible lockout on December 1, Skubal is widely regarded as this offseason’s top free agent. Bowden projects Skubal will land a contract worth $350 million to $500 million, with an annual salary rivaling those of Shohei Ohtani ($70 million AAV before deferrals) and Zach Wheeler ($42 million AAV) — a deal that would make him the highest-paid pitcher in MLB history by both average annual value and guaranteed dollars.
The Dodgers have a long track record of paying top dollar for elite free agents, and retaining Skubal would almost certainly require another such commitment. Dodgers owner Mark Walter told Jack Harris, in an exclusive with The California Post, that he intends to keep handing out top-dollar contracts to free agents.
But the White Sox, once the league’s biggest punching bag, have reshaped their financial position. Two years removed from a record-setting 41-121 season, Chicago spent the time since shedding costly contracts. Last season the team turned heads by finishing second in the American League Central with an 84-78 record, securing a wild-card berth, and then sweeping the Houston Astros.
The current front office has shown willingness to spend, signing Munetaka Murakami to a two-year, $34 million deal last year. With a young pitching core led by Sean Burke (3.34 ERA) and Grant Taylor (2.25 ERA), Skubal could slot in as the rotation’s anchor.
Whether the White Sox can truly compete financially with the Dodgers for a contract of this size remains to be seen, but Bowden’s reporting suggests Chicago has the resources to make a serious run at the ace.
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