Sunday, October 25, 2026

Copyrighted by Sarah Morris, 2026

Going into the 2026-2027 offseason, the Los Angeles Dodgers have many free agents that they need to re-sign. Tarik Skubal is the most important free agent they have to re-sign.

Although the Dodgers obtained Skubal on August 2, it is difficult to see him in another team’s uniform. He belongs in a Dodger uniform.

Yes, the Dodgers have an abundance of starting pitching, but in baseball, a team cannot have too much pitching. When I look at Dodgers’ starting pitching, I can see possible shortcomings and injuries coming. The Dodgers want to continue their dominance in the major leagues, so they must have a fantastic starting rotation.

Blake Snell is a fantastic left-handed starter, but over the last two seasons, he had pitched 104 innings in the regular season. He is an excellent starter when he can stay on the field, but he has had both shoulder and elbow problems. While he thinks they are behind him now, no one can be sure.

Everyone can agree that Tyler Glasnow is a dominating right-handed starter if he can stay on the field. He is a tall man with recurring back problems. In 2026, he missed from early May to late August with those back problems. They can pop up at any time and linger. Some baseball people debate whether the Dodgers should trade Glasnow, but when it is hard to find quality starting pitchers, I think the Dodgers should keep him but don’t depend on him.

Shohei Ohtani and the Dodgers say he will pitch in 2027, but no one knows what it will look like because he is a hitter, too. The Dodgers need his incredible offensive production more than his remarkable right-handed pitching. If he can pitch only ten starts, the Dodgers will need another quality starter.

Yoshinobu Yamamoto has pitched a tremendous amount of innings over the past two years, and he just keeps going. At some point, his body will need a break, and since he is the Dodges’ ace, they will be in trouble. Now it is the time to acquire another ace.

Both Roki Sasaki and Justin Wrobleski made sizable progress in 2026, but neither proved that he could make twenty-five starts. They will still be an important part of the rotation, but the Dodgers need a backup plan.

Skubal is the best available starter in the free agent class of 2026. Since he underwent elbow surgery to remove loose bodies in April, his statistics are down from his usual high standards, but he still had a record of 12 and 7 with a 2.72 ERA and 186 strikeouts. As a Dodger, he had a 5 and 2 record with a 2.61 ERA and 70 strikeouts in 62 innings over 10 starts.

During Wednesday’s press conference, Andrew Friedman said that Skubal and his wife must figure out where they want to be. In the recent past, the Dodgers have shown no hesitancy in signing who they want regardless of the price. Since Scott Boras represents Skubal, signing him will be expensive but worth it. At 30, Skubal has yet to reach 1,000 innings, which is unusual for a star pitcher at his age. He has two Cy Young Awards and a triple crown and wants to improve. The Dodgers know he fits into their culture. They should give him whatever he wants because he is a perfect replacement for Clayton Kershaw, something that they need.