Toronto Blue Jays Reportedly Set to Meet with Tarik Skubal

According to Jon Heyman of the New York Post, the Toronto Blue Jays are set to get a meeting with free agent pitcher Tarik Skubal.

The Los Angeles Dodgers, New York Mets and San Diego Padres will also meet with Skubal in California next week. There are also reportedly two mystery teams involved in the sweepstakes.

These meetings will happen quickly, and a potential decision could also happen quickly as Skubal looks to beat the clock before the probable MLB lockout, which will start on Dec. 2. At that point, there will be no ability for players to sign deals until the lockout is over.

There's a lot to unpack here, so let's dive in:

The 29-year-old California native will turn 30 on Nov. 20, so he'll pitch the entire 2027 season at age 30. And he's the best starting pitcher in the game. A seven-year veteran of the Detroit Tigers and Los Angeles Dodgers, Skubal has gone 66-44 for his career with a 3.02 ERA.

He led the American League in ERA in both 2024 (2.39) and 2025 (2.21), and he won the Cy Young in both of those years. He was traded from the Tigers to the Dodgers at this trade deadline and helped LA advance to the National League Championship Series, where they were beaten by the Milwaukee Brewers.

Skubal was also the MLB strikeout leader (228) in 2024 and he's a two-time All-Star.

Unfortunately, injuries have been a factor in his journey, as he made just 15 starts in 2023 and 26 this year. That said, he'll still command a massive salary.

Well, it really depends on when Skubal signs. If he signs before the lockout, he could get anywhere between $350 and $500 million as teams operate under the current system. If he signs after the lockout, his signing will be fully dependent on what the new financial situation looks like.

Because the financial situation will be unknown, it stands to reason that Skubal will want to sign early.

It's absolutely possible. The Blue Jays have deep pockets and Skubal's agency knows it. If you throw the Blue Jays into the mix, it's quite possible that drives the price up on other teams to spend more.

The Blue Jays have been connected to almost every big free agent over the last few years from Juan Soto to Max Fried to Shohei Ohtani to Roki Sasaki.

Every team in baseball needs the best pitcher in the game, but how much are you willing to spend?