Brewers' Tarik Skubal trade deadline saga made more confusing by latest free agency rumors

For the first time since 2023, the American League has a new Cy Young Award winner; on Wednesday night, Cam Schlittler of the New York Yankees claimed the honor unanimously. The 25-year-old Schlittler dethroned Tarik Skubal, who won the award as a member of the Detroit Tigers in both 2024 and 2025.

Despite not being in the running for Cy Young this year, in part due to the fact that he spent half of the season in the National League, Skubal is in line for a massive payday this offseason. The soon-to-be 30-year-old southpaw is hitting free agency for the first time with multiple Cy Young Awards, an ERA title, a Triple Crown, and multiple All-Star selections already to his name.

Due to his eye-popping, but justifiable salary expectations, Skubal's free agent market is rather limited. Most expected the Los Angeles Dodgers, whom Skubal supposedly wanted to be a part of all along, to be the frontrunners to sign the left-handed ace, but early reports indicate that the New York Mets are currently the clear favorites to land Skubal. Interestingly, these early reports contradict a narrative that was present at the trade deadline that seemingly hurt the Brewers' chances of trading for the Cy Young ace.

Latest free agent rumors suggest Tarik Skubal's deadline desire to be a Dodger long-term was disingenuous

Leading up to the trade deadline, Skubal, a California native, reportedly identified Los Angeles as his preferred destination, for both the short and long term. Although he had no control over the Tigers' final decision, some believed Detroit felt an obligation to honor his wishes, potentially explaining why they accepted a somewhat controversial return package of outfielder Zyhir Hope and right-handed pitchers River Ryan and Brady Smith.

That, of course, is being told in the context of the Milwaukee Brewers being widely viewed as the runner-up in the race to acquire him. Per Jeff Passan at ESPN the Brewers had several offers on the table -- offers that included some combination of infielder Luis Peña, outfielders Josh Adamczewski and Alexander Frias, and utility player Jett Williams. Though none of those players are the controllable pitcher the Tigers were reportedly prioritizing, it's difficult to argue with the amount of value the Brewers were putting on the table. Therefore, it was shocking just how quickly and easily the Tigers accepted the Dodgers' offer, leading many to justifiably believe that Skubal's desire to go to Los Angeles played a role in the negotiations.

Now, with early free agent reports suggesting that the Mets have emerged as the early favorites to sign Skubal, much of what was said about his unwavering desire to join the Dodgers is being contradicted. While this could simply be Skubal's agent, Scott Boras, doing his due diligence and entertaining offers from multiple teams, particularly those with the financial resources of the Mets, one would think that if Skubal genuinely viewed the Dodgers as his preferred long-term destination, both sides would be quickly working to get a deal in place before the impending work stoppage and potential changes to the Collective Bargaining Agreement.

Ultimately, the latest rumors surrounding Skubal's free agency raise questions about how genuine the reported desire to become a Dodger really was, as well as the speculation that Detroit traded him to Los Angeles to honor his wishes. Instead, it may have been part of a larger strategy to avoid landing in a smaller market like Milwaukee, where less media exposure in the months leading up to free agency could potentially limit his visibility and earning power on the open market.

Regardless, looking back on the trade deadline negotiations with a World Series title and all of the players they were supposedly offering for Skubal, the Brewers certainly made the right decision. They have Logan Henderson under contract for the next five years, Luis Peña still in their farm system, and a plethora of exciting bats in the minor leagues. Even still, thinking back to the moment when Skubal was traded to the Dodgers and how inevitable that move felt, it's tough to stomach that one of the jusitifications for the Tigers' apparent favortism of Los Angeles' offer -- Skubal's desire to eventually sign a contract extension with the Dodgers -- wasn't necessarily genuine.

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