The Philadelphia Phillies have become all too familiar with watching postseason baseball from their couches. Although three of MLB's smallest payrolls are duking it out for a shot at a World Series title, the Phillies still need to think big to fix their roster heading into the 2027 regular season. That starts with the top prize on the free agent market: Tarik Skubal.
Skubal is a strikeout machine and, at times, the best pitcher in the sport. He is a bona fide ace and plays with the fire and passion that could galvanize this Phillies club in October.
The Los Angeles Dodgers monopolized the trade deadline with a massive splash, landing the two-time Cy Young Award winner. Skubal finished the 2026 season with a 12-7 record, 2.72 ERA, and 186 strikeouts in 158 2/3 innings. His 2.2 fWAR following the trade deadline was the best in the Majors, just one point above Jesús Luzardo, who finished the season after August 3 with a 1.06 ERA.
Phillies should offer whatever they can to bring Tarik Skubal to Philadelphia
The largest-ever deal for a pitcher was signed by Yoshinobu Yamamoto, to whom the Phillies reportedly offered an ever-greater sum than the one he received with the Dodgers, a 12-year/$325 million contract. The Phillies now have a chance to redirect that aggression towards a generational talent in Skubal. Slotted in front of Zack Wheeler, Luzardo, Cris Sanchez, Andrew Painter, and Aaron Nola, the Phillies could ask: How dominant can a rotation get?
Per Spotrac, Skubal's market value sits around $40 million per year. Even as he enters his age-30 season next year, a 10-year deal remains on the table. Per FanGraphs, the Phillies have roughly $47 million coming off the books after this season, so filling that slot with Skubal's AAV wouldn't be an impossible ask.
Despite the Phillies' lackluster offense, great pitching wins championships, and it's hard to argue anyone would have it better than the Philadelphia if they strike for Skubal this winter.
It's easy to ask a front office, comfortable running out the same roster year after year, to spend upwards of $400 million on a pitcher, especially one on the wrong side of 30. It will be harder for John Middleton and Dave Dombrowski to affix their signatures to that contract. Signing Skubal is a massive risk, but the Phillies have dug themselves a hole; this is an opportunity to climb out.
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