San Diego has emerged as a suitor for Tarik Skubal, joining the market for the two-time Cy Young Award winner in the early days of the offseason.
The Padres have expressed interest in Skubal, according to Jon Morosi of The MLB Network. While the Friars scaled back free agent spending following the 2023 passing of former owner Peter Seidler, a new ownership group led by José E. Feliciano and Kwanza Jones took over the franchise over the summer.
San Diego finished the 2026 season with a luxury tax number around $269.43MM and an actual payroll in the $224MM range, according to MLBTR’s Payroll Tracker. Both figures are projected around $193MM for the 2027 season, though next year’s cutoffs depend on a new collective bargaining agreement.
The Padres face an extensive overhaul of their starting rotation. Michael King opted out of his contract, and the team declined an option on Nick Pivetta, while midseason acquisitions Casey Mize and Robbie Ray hit free agency alongside Walker Buehler, Griffin Canning, and Lucas Giolito.
Skubal is widely expected to beat the current $43.333MM record annual value for a pitcher and is expected to surpass Yamamoto’s record $325 million contract, the largest ever given to a starting pitcher.
As general manager meetings begin, the star left-hander is widely projected to land a massive deal, potentially reaching the 10-year, $400 million range. Across the league, major-market clubs are shaping their offseason strategies around the elite pitcher.
The New York Mets remain very interested in pursuing Skubal under owner Steve Cohen, while the Los Angeles Dodgers boast deep rotation depth featuring Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Blake Snell. Meanwhile, division rivals like the Chicago Cubs are reportedly unlikely to enter the heavy bidding war, turning their focus toward adding multiple starting pitchers to fill out their rotation behind pitchers such as Justin Steele.
“The way he was able to seamlessly transition, not just in terms of on the field but in the clubhouse, I can't say enough good things about the impact that he made in such a short period of time,” president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman said.