The Tarik Skubal sweepstakes have arrived. The two-time Cy Young Award winner could become the highest-paid pitcher in MLB history and should dominate free agent discussions.

Recent offseasons have featured elite players receiving enormous contracts, including Shohei Ohtani, Juan Soto and Kyle Tucker. This winter, the attention will shift to Skubal.

There is almost no question that the left-hander will receive a massive payday this summer. The primary uncertainty is which team will provide it.

The Los Angeles Dodgers are among the favorites, particularly after acquiring Skubal at the trade deadline.

Many teams would want to add him, but only a small number may possess the financial resources required to pursue him seriously.

According to Bob Nightengale from USA TODAY, the bidding could ultimately come down to the Dodgers and New York Mets.

Nightengale reported in August that Skubal had publicly discussed the possibility of returning to Detroit. However, he believed Los Angeles and New York would be the only teams prepared to submit serious offers.

“Dodgers two-time Cy Young winner Tarik Skubal is saying all of the right things about his upcoming free agency, even revealing his interest about a potential return to Detroit,” Nightengale wrote.

“The cold-hearted truth is that there will be only two teams who will make serious bids for his services: The Dodgers and New York Mets. That’s it.”

Mark Feinsand from MLB.com identified other teams that could enter the competition, with the Philadelphia Phillies emerging as a dark horse candidate.

Feinsand noted that Phillies president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski has never hesitated to spend in free agency, giving Philadelphia reason to consider pursuing Skubal.

“Dave Dombrowski has never been shy about spending in free agency, so the Phillies are at least a dark horse candidate to make a play for Skubal,” Feinsand wrote.

He also pointed to the Phillies’ history with Skubal’s agent, Scott Boras. Boras previously negotiated Philadelphia contracts for prominent players such as Bryce Harper, Nick Castellanos and Taijuan Walker.

Skubal is expected to surpass the 10-year, $325 million contract the Dodgers awarded Yoshinobu Yamamoto.

Some predictions suggest the reigning American League Cy Young Award winner could receive the first $400 million contract for a pitcher based on total value.

Skubal completed the season with a 12-7 record, 2.72 ERA and 0.96 WHIP in 158.2 innings over 26 starts with the Detroit Tigers and Dodgers.

After arriving in Los Angeles, he went 5-2 with a 2.61 ERA and 1.05 WHIP in 62 innings across 10 regular season starts.

Skubal also went 1-1 with a 2.45 ERA and 1.00 WHIP in 11 innings over two postseason starts.

The approaching lockout will create considerable uncertainty, but Skubal remains overwhelmingly likely to receive a record contract.

His market extends beyond awards and recent production. Skubal gives a rotation an established ace capable of handling the expectations attached to important games.

He attacks hitters with power, maintains control of the strike zone and can miss bats without depending on one pitch. That combination allows him to work through different lineups and adjust when opponents change their approach.

Skubal also demonstrated that changing teams during a season did not disrupt his preparation or performance. He joined a roster carrying World Series expectations and immediately handled a leading role.

Any team pursuing him must accept an extraordinary financial commitment. However, pitchers with his combination of dominance, durability, command and October experience rarely become available.

That scarcity explains why the Dodgers, Mets and potentially Phillies could push his contract beyond every previous standard for an MLB pitcher.