Tarik Skubal is unquestionably the leading player available in free agency and possesses a legitimate opportunity to establish new contract records for a pitcher.

His market could determine the pace of the entire offseason.

Teams pursuing other starting pitchers may delay their decisions until Skubal signs. The value of his eventual contract could also influence negotiations involving several other prominent free agents.

The Los Angeles Dodgers would face a substantial vacancy in their rotation should they be unable to re-sign Skubal.

Tyler Mahle represents a solid alternative who could join Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Blake Snell, Tyler Glasnow, Shohei Ohtani and Roki Sasaki in the starting rotation.

The San Francisco Giants traded Mahle to the Atlanta Braves at the deadline, and the right-hander responded by producing an unexpectedly impressive run with his new team.

Mahle had recorded a 5.13 ERA and 1.39 WHIP in 94.2 innings over 18 starts for San Francisco. Those results provided little reason to believe he could become a significant difference-maker after the trade.

Instead, Mahle stabilized Atlanta’s rotation and posted a stellar 1.99 ERA and 0.96 WHIP in 54.1 innings over nine regular season starts.

His improvement continued during the postseason. Mahle recorded a 1.35 ERA and 0.83 WHIP in 13.1 innings over two starts.

Those outings represented the first postseason appearances of his career, and Mahle demonstrated that the increased pressure did not overwhelm him.

The Dodgers experienced his effectiveness firsthand during Game 4 of the National League Division Series on Oct. 7.

Mahle allowed two runs (one earned) on three hits with four strikeouts and one walk in 6.1 innings against Los Angeles.

His performance after joining Atlanta creates reason to believe that he could become more than a dependable fourth or fifth starter for a contending team.

Mahle would not replace everything Skubal provides, and the Dodgers should not present him as an equivalent alternative.

However, he could strengthen the rotation without requiring Los Angeles to make the record-setting financial commitment Skubal will command.

His turnaround with Atlanta showed that he can respond positively to a change in environment and make adjustments after an extended period of poor results.

Mahle also proved capable of handling meaningful postseason assignments despite lacking previous experience on that stage.

The Dodgers would benefit from another starter who can provide competitive innings without carrying the expectations attached to the top of the rotation.

With Yamamoto, Snell, Glasnow, Ohtani and Sasaki already available, Mahle could settle into a supporting role rather than being asked to lead the staff.

His difficult stretch with San Francisco remains part of the evaluation. Los Angeles would need to determine whether Atlanta’s version of Mahle can be sustained or whether the improvement reflected a brief surge.

Still, his regular season and postseason performances with the Braves established a compelling foundation. Mahle could give the Dodgers proven rotation depth while allowing them to direct money toward other needs should Skubal sign elsewhere.