Tarik Skubal is the top free agent available this winter, and plenty of teams will be trying to land him.
However, not every team is going to be able to meet Skubal's contract demands. He is expected to sign a record-breaking deal, and his agent, Scott Boras, is known to get his clients top dollar in free agency. According to The Associated Press's Ronald Blum, Skubal is set to meet with six teams.
"With a lockout looming and team executives vowing to take a business-as-usual approach to the offseason, the New York Mets, Los Angeles Dodgers and San Diego Padres are among six teams set to meet with top free-agent pitcher Tarik Skubal," wrote Blum on Tuesday. "Skubal’s planned meetings were disclosed to The Associated Press by a person familiar with negotiations who spoke on condition of anonymity because those details had not been announced. The person did not disclose the other teams."
Skubal reportedly prefers to stay on the West Coast, so it's no surprise the Dodgers and Padres are involved. The Mets are also no surprise with Steve Cohen running the show and a desperate need in the rotation.
As for the other three teams, it could really be anyone. However, a safe bet might be the Chicago Cubs, Atlanta Braves and perhaps a West Coast team like the Los Angeles Angels, interested in making a splash and changing things for the franchise.
Any team in need of an ace will at least check in on Skubal, but only one team can get him. Losers of the sweepstakes could pivot to Freddy Peralta and Michael King.