When one Cy Young winner recruits another, Tarik Skubal's free agency goes beyond the money

When a star hits free agency, the conversation almost always starts and ends with the numbers. Years, average annual value, opt-outs, and the kind of generational wealth that changes a family tree will always lead the headlines ... as they should. Teams have a responsibility to their owners, stakeholders and fan bases to spend wisely, and players have every right to chase the best deal they can get.

I never reached free agency in my career, but it was always on my mind. Every player dreams about the security that comes with it, and along the way you hear the stories that remind you how human these decisions really are. Juan Soto's free agency is the perfect example. The Yankees reportedly went past $760 million, but they reportedly wouldn't budge on a free suite for his family, while the Mets said yes and won the record-setting bidding war.

At that level of money, something as small as where your family sits on game day can tip the scales. That's why Tarik Skubal's decision feels different, and why one of the most compelling pieces of the Dodgers' offer isn't something Andrew Friedman can write into a contract.

Why Blake Snell's pitch could matter in Tarik Skubal's free agency for Dodgers

From the moment Skubal arrived at the deadline, he and Snell clicked. Tyler Glasnow joked that it was love at first sight, and the friendship that followed became one of the best storylines of the season. Two two-time Cy Young winners sharing a rotation, a clubhouse, and an agent in Scott Boras helped turn what could have been an awkward midseason transition into a seamless one. Skubal posted a 2.61 ERA and 1.05 WHIP over 62 innings in 10 starts as a Dodger, an impressive stretch for a pitcher who'd already missed about six weeks earlier in the year due to elbow surgery to remove loose bodies.

Snell hasn't been shy about recruiting him back, either. He told SportsNet LA that he talks to Skubal every day and has already made his pitch, while acknowledging it's ultimately "a life decision for him and his family."

I can't fully fathom what it's like to have a Cy Young winner in your ear during free agency, but I know what a teammate like that means. A starting rotation spends eight months together, through bullpen sessions, film work, talking about approaches to different lineups, and flights and long nights in hotels. Having someone who has such a decorated resume and knows how to push you every day is the kind of thing that could help a great pitcher find another level, and it's the kind of friendship that can last long after both careers are over.

There's a business side to the bond, too. Two decorated, likable left-handers in the country's second-largest media market could open doors off the field that an annual salary never will, from joint endorsements to content that keeps both brands growing for years. That's my speculation, not anything either camp has said, but it's the kind of value Skubal's team could weigh when comparing a Dodgers offer to one from Queens or Chicago.

None of this means the Dodgers can lowball him. The Athletic's Katie Woo reported that Los Angeles is unlikely to match a record-setting total, but could offer a shorter deal with a higher AAV, similar to what it did with Kyle Tucker. That's exactly where the intangibles could matter most, as the tiebreaker if the money is close.

Whatever Skubal decides, this continues to be one of the best storylines of the offseason. With the Dec. 1 deadline to the expiring CBA creeping closer and Skubal potentially signing before then, I can't wait to see how Friedman makes his move over the next couple weeks.

Add us as a preferred source on Google

Follow