White Sox Emerge as Threat to Dodgers in Pursuit of Ace Tarik Skubal

The Los Angeles Dodgers, fresh off a season that ended one series short of the World Series, now face competition to keep one of the pitchers who helped get them there. According to Jim Bowden of The Athletic, the Chicago White Sox have emerged as a top candidate to sign Tarik Skubal when he hits free agency.

Skubal, a two-time Cy Young Award winner, joined the Dodgers at last July’s trade deadline and delivered immediately, going 5-2 with a 2.61 ERA across 10 games while striking out 70 batters against just 13 walks. Barring a potential lockout on Dec. 1, he is widely regarded as the top free agent available this offseason.

The Dodgers have a long history of spending heavily on top free agents, and keeping Skubal would likely require a record-setting commitment. Bowden believes Skubal is positioned to sign a deal that would make him the highest-paid pitcher in MLB history by annual average value and guaranteed money, projecting a contract in the range of $350-$500 million with an annual salary comparable to Shohei Ohtani’s $70 million AAV (before deferrals) and Zach Wheeler’s $42 million AAV.

The White Sox, meanwhile, are only two years removed from a record-breaking 41-121 season. Since then, the club has worked to shed its high-end contracts and rebuild. That rebuild paid off in 2026, when Chicago finished second in the American League Central with an 84-78 record, earned a wild-card berth, and swept the Astros in the postseason.

Chicago’s front office has already shown a willingness to spend, having signed Munetaka Murakami to a two-year, $34 million deal last year. The team’s pitching staff features a young core led by Sean Burke, who posted a 3.34 ERA, and Grant Taylor, who posted a 2.25 ERA. Landing Skubal would give the White Sox a frontline ace to anchor that rotation.

Despite Bowden’s assessment that Chicago has the financial resources to pursue Skubal, Dodgers owner Mark Walter indicated in an exclusive interview with The California Post’s Jack Harris that he intends to keep handing out top-dollar free agent contracts, suggesting Los Angeles will not step aside easily in the bidding.