“Kyle Tucker ended up signing for $240M” – MLB insider weighs Tarik Skubal’s record payday chances as team interest remains scarce

FanSided’s Robert Murray expects Tarik Skubal to sign one of the biggest contracts in baseball history, even with only a handful of teams bidding. Making an appearance on Monday’s episode of “Foul Territory,” Murray used Kyle Tucker’s deal from a year ago as an example to drive his point home.

“I don’t know if he’s going to need more than three or four teams there,” Murray said. “We saw what happened with Kyle Tucker last year. He ended up having the Dodgers, the Mets and the Blue Jays bidding for him, and he ended up signing for $240 million. He was able to do just fine there.

“I would imagine, a guy like Skubal in particular, he’s going to be looking at a longer term contract than a guy like Tucker was. When it’s ultimately all said and done, I would expect Skubal to sign one of, if not the biggest contracts ever in baseball history.”

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70% Win

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70% Win

(110-25-1)

70% Win

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Tucker drew bids from the Dodgers, the Mets and the Blue Jays before signing a four-year, $240 million contract with Los Angeles in January.

“They got their ace” – Ex-MLB outfielder suggests Blue Jays will stay away from Tarik Skubal free agency sweepstakes

Toronto has been floated as a suitor, but former Blue Jays center fielder Kevin Pillar does not see it. Asked by The Athletic’s Mitch Bannon on Blue Bird Territory whether Toronto should go all-in, Pillar pointed to Dylan Cease, signed last winter to a seven-year, $210 million deal.

“They got their ace, they got Dylan Cease and as much as you want to build your team around having this elite starting pitching, I think the Blue Jays have good starting pitching,” Pillar said.

“You can never have enough starting pitching. I think the Blue Jays learned this year that they need to distribute that money over position groups as opposed to going out to sign Tarik Skubal.”

Cease is signed to a seven-year, $210 million deal, and Toronto missed the playoffs in 2026. Tarik Skubal went 12-7 with a 2.72 ERA and 186 strikeouts for the Detroit Tigers and LA Dodgers this season.

Edited by Raghav Mehta