Could Dodgers insider's intel on LA's Tarik Skubal strategy reopen the door to Tigers?

Tarik Skubal is the best free agent on this offseason's market, full stop. Even the best position player in the class, Jazz Chisholm Jr., doesn't hold a candle to Skubal despite his ability to affect a team on a daily basis.

Free agency begins the day after the World Series ends, and a host of teams could be prepping for the chase right now. The Dodgers and Mets will, of course, be involved, but so too could the Cubs, Blue Jays, and Phillies.

The Dodgers are the favorites because they're the Dodgers, but LA insider Katie Woo of The Athletic hinted that they might not be willing to give Skubal the years he might want. During an appearance on 97.1 The Fan, Woo said, "The only way I see the Dodgers being fierce competitors for Tarik Skubal, is if Skubal is willing to take a deal similar to the structure and concept of Kyle Tucker."

Tucker took a now-infamous four-year, $240 million contract with LA last offseason, despite having long-term options on the table from other teams. The Dodgers, the oldest team in baseball this year, are concerned with getting younger, and Skubal just turned 29.

If he's even open to the idea of a shorter-term deal, could that allow the Tigers to get back in on this chase?

Dodgers insider believes LA will only be willing to offer Tarik Skubal a short-term deal

Last year, the Tigers gave Framber Valdez the largest ever contract for a lefty pitcher by AAV. Skubal is probably going to break that record easily, no matter how many years are on the deal, but it displayed a willingness from the Tigers to put big money down over a short period of time. Tigers fans would assume that three years and $115 million is about as high as they would go, but that deal in itself surprised us.

Say what you will about the end of Skubal's tenure as a Tiger, but we'd like to believe that his pronouncements about loving Detroit and Tigers fans were at least somewhat sincere. It doesn't mean he'll sell himself back at a discount, but it could have some emotional appeal, should the Tigers actually engage in this war and be willing to compete.

We're not trying to get anyone's hopes up here. It seems more likely than not that the Tigers won't engage in this market at all. But if the Dodgers re-sign him to a short-term contract that Detroit probably could've afforded, fans would be right to ask some questions.

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