From "want to return" to "won't mention the future"…Skubal's $32 million salary ahead of free agency

Skubal refused to answer about his future right after the Dodgers were eliminated 0-4 in the NLCS, saying "I won't mention the future." He traced his August hope to return and his salary and free-agency timeline in date order.

Translated from Korean with AI assistance. Read the original. Sources and original publication dates are retained.

Three-line summary

The Dodgers lost 4-6 to Milwaukee in Game 4 of the NLCS on October 15 local time and were eliminated with a 0-4 record.
Right after the game, Skubal refused to answer about his future, saying, "I'm not going to comment on my future at all."
On a podcast released August 7, he expressed a desire to return to Detroit, but his contract and team have not been decided.

His answer changed within 69 days. On the podcast released August 7, Tarik Skubal said of his former team Detroit, "I would love to return." By local time October 15, the night the Dodgers' postseason ended, it was different. "I'm not going to comment on my future at all."

Skubal declines to address his future on the day the Dodgers were eliminated 0-4

The game was held in Los Angeles. AP reported that in Game 4 of the National League Championship Series (NLCS, the series that decides the league pennant), the Dodgers lost to Milwaukee 4-6. The series record is 0-4.

The question about his future came right after the game. According to MLB.com reporter's coverage, Skubal said, "I'm not going to comment on my future really at all." Heavy reported that he added, "Today is really painful, and my mind is still stuck there."

There is no evidence to read this answer as a withdrawal of his desire to return to Detroit. It is closer to a deferred answer, in which the player postponed contract talk on the day of elimination. The two remarks came from different settings: a postgame interview right after the trade and a press conference right after elimination.

Skubal's $32 million salary: from February arbitration to August trade

Turning the clock back to February reveals the starting point. MLB.com reported that on February 5, Skubal won salary arbitration (a system in which a panel picks one of the amounts submitted by the team and the player). The confirmed amount was $32 million, the highest ever for an arbitration-eligible player, surpassing Juan Soto's $31 million. It is about 3.2 times his 2025 salary of $10.15 million.

Category	Amount	Notes
2018 signing bonus	0.35 million	Drafted by Detroit in the 9th round
2025 salary	10.15 million	One-year contract with Detroit
2026 team filing amount	19 million	Arbitration filing amount (not the amount actually paid)
2026 confirmed salary	32 million	Arbitration decision; increase of 21.85 million, a record high
2026 Dodgers' share	About 10 million	Remaining amount after August 2, MLB Trade Rumors estimate

The picture changed on August 2. Detroit sent Skubal to the Dodgers and received River Ryan, Zyhir Hope and Brady Smith. Detroit had drafted the ace in the 2018 ninth round, 255th overall, and he debuted on August 18, 2020. They traded him mid-season.

Five days later, on August 7, the newly traded pitcher left the door open to Detroit. Field Level Media and MLB.com reported that Skubal said on the Pardon My Take podcast, "I would love to return." The actual recording date has not been confirmed. He only expressed a wish; it was not a contract agreement.

Skubal's 2.72 ERA and two Cy Young Awards; free agency after the World Series

The résumé of the pitcher about to hit the market is strong. BBWAA voting, Skubal won the American League Cy Young Award in 2024 and 2025 consecutively. In the 2025 voting, he beat second-place Garrett Crochet (132 points) by 66 points, with 198 points.

Rank	Player	Points	Team at the time
1	Tarik Skubal	198	Detroit Tigers
2	Garrett Crochet	132	Boston Red Sox
3	Hunter Brown	80	Houston Astros
4	Max Fried	61	New York Yankees
5	Brayan Woo	26	Seattle Mariners

Combined 2026 regular-season results for Detroit and the Dodgers: 12 wins, 7 losses, ERA 2.72, 158⅔ innings, 186 strikeouts. This is 0.30 lower than his career ERA of 3.02. In the postseason, he started 2 games and posted a 2.45 ERA over 11 innings.

Outlets differ on when he becomes a free agent. Heavy already called him a free agent in an October 16 article, but AP explained in an August 2 article that he becomes eligible after the World Series ends. Team elimination and free-agent eligibility are separate matters.

The remaining step is the end of the World Series. After that, Skubal becomes eligible for free agency, and his destination and contract size will be decided in later negotiations. As of October 17 Korea time, neither a return to Detroit nor staying with the Dodgers has been confirmed.

Related official sites

Los Angeles Dodgers official website — Check official team announcements and roster changes
Detroit Tigers official website — Check news from his former team's offseason
MiLB official Skubal player stats — View official records by season
BBWAA official Cy Young voting results — Check the full 2025 voting points

Representative image · Archive photo · Not a photo from the current game described in the article · Photo: Wikimedia Commons (Jeffrey Hyde), CC BY-SA 2.0