Potential rotation options for the Dodgers if Tarik Skubal doesn’t re-sign

Tarik Skubal was as advertised after the Dodgers acquired him at the 2026 MLB Trade Deadline. He had a 2.72 ERA, 2.51 FIP and a 23.3 K-BB%. Ace-level stuff. Naturally, it’d be nice for the Dodgers to retain his services.

There are a few wrinkles when it comes to that:

1. The unresolved Collective Bargaining Agreement
2. The contract
3. 6-man rotation

We don’t know what the new CBA will look like, so unless the Dodgers (or whoever ends up signing Skubal) are super proactive, Skubal’s next deal will come under said CBA.

The contract itself promises to be one of the richest ever for a starting pitcher. Skubal will be 30 next month and should land at least an 8-year deal worth upward of $40 million-plus annually. Over the last three years, he has been baseball’s best pitcher, and there’s no reason to expect that to change for the first half of his new deal. The Dodgers — new CBA or otherwise — can afford the deal, but will they want to commit to another mega contract for a pitcher when there are other needs on the roster at present? We shall see.

Finally, the 6-man rotation could also be a factor for Skubal. With Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Roki Sasaki and (when healthy) Shohei Ohtani usually needing five days between starts instead of four, having a guy like Skubal, who’s used to going every fifth day, could be problematic. However, he got five days of rest in eight of his 10 starts with the Dodgers, so he obviously bought in at least for a limited run, but it’d also mean giving up 2-5 five starts over the course of a healthy season. If there are no contract incentives based on innings pitched or awards won, then maybe he’d be more amenable to being the head of a 6-man rotation. It’s more complicated than that because there are off days, injuries and so on that determine when a starter takes the bump, but it’s something to consider in this situation.

But what if the Dodgers don’t bring Skubal back? It’d be a bummer to not have MLB’s best pitcher, but it’s not like the Dodgers need him — at least, on paper as we head into the MLB offseason. But you can never have enough pitching, as the cliche goes. Internally, the Dodgers still have the likes of Emmet Sheehan, Gavin Stone, Justin Wrobleski and future 40-man-roster additions in Jackson Ferris and Christian Zazueta. They’re not short on starters, but they might not want to lean on inconsistent guys, guys coming back from injury and prospects. Effectively, bringing in a more established arm might make it easier. Also, there’s a non-zero chance a guy like Sheehan or Wrobleski is on the trade block this offseason.

So here are some options via the free-agent and trade markets who could make some sense if the Dodgers want an arm, but not necessarily an ace-level arm (age in parenthesis). And while it’s possible they could look at second-tier arms like Freddy Peralta or Michael King, if they wanted to commit those years to another starter in their 30s, Skubal seems the likelier splurge.

Free Agents

RHP Shane Bieber, Blue Jays (32)

Once one of the game’s best pitchers, Bieber has fallen on hard times a bit since 2023 due to significant injuries. He had Tommy John surgery in April of 2024 and was the infamous losing pitcher in Game 7 of the 2025 World Series. He has logged just 96 innings over the last two seasons with Toronto and posted a 4.03 ERA, 4.87 FIP and 12.5 K-BB%. The Dodgers had some level of interest in him in the past, but who knows if that interest still remains. He might benefit from a lighter workload by going every sixth day, but his Cy Young days probably aren’t returning regardless. A cheap 1-year deal could make sense if other options fall through.

LHP Kris Bubic, Dodgers (29)

Bubic was a trade deadline acquisition by the Dodgers, but to pitch out of the bullpen despite being an All-Star starting pitcher for the Royals in 2025. He had Tommy John surgery in May 2023, a left rotator cuff strain in July 2025 and left elbow soreness landed him on the injured list in May, but he was able to come back and pitch five regular-season games and two postseason games for the Dodgers. While they only gave up Carlos Duran to get him, the Dodgers could feel like there’s unfinished business/untapped potential with Bubic, ala Danny Duffy, though, Duffy never appeared in a game with the Dodgers. Bubic would also give the rotation a different look, as Blake Snell and Wrobleski are the only left-handed starters currently on the 40-man roster.

RHP Walker Buehler, Padres (32)

Hello old friend. The pitcher who recorded the final three outs of the 2024 World Series has struggled since leaving LA (and, honestly, struggled before leaving LA). He has a 4.76 ERA, 5.03 FIP and a just an 8.6 K-BB% in the last two seasons withe the Red Sox, Phillies and Padres. Last season was the first time in his career he didn’t throw his 4-seam fastball with the most frequency. But he’s still throwing some version of a fastball (4-seamer, cutter, sinker) 64.5% of the time with varying levels of success. It seems Buehler doesn’t trust his breaking/offspeed stuff and unless he regains that trust, he might not be more than a second-division starter at this point of his career.

RHP Jack Flaherty, Tigers (31)

Another old friend in J-Flare. He was integral in the Dodgers’ 2024 championship run (despite a couple duds in both the NLCS and World Series), but they don’t win that title without him. He’s had a bit of a rough go at it in Detroit since leaving LA after the ’24 season. He led the American League in losses in 2025 and was limited to just 88 innings in 2026 due to injury. Overall, he had a 4.58 ERA, 3.92 FIP and a 17.6 K-BB%. It wasn’t all bad, but it also doesn’t mean he’s cooked. An adjustment to his pitch usage (something I’ll detail in a certain upcoming post) could get him back to the pitcher he was in 2024. And that’s all the Dodgers would need him to be. Go out there every sixth day and go 5-6 innings and be effective.

LHP Foster Griffin, Guardians (31)

A success story after going to Nippon Professional Baseball and revitalizing his career, Griffin was dealt to the Guardinas from the Nationals at the trade deadline after making the NL All-Star team and was better than his 5.19 ERA with Cleveland would indicate. He was really good in the postseason, posting a 3.48 ERA, 0.78 FIP and 15:0 K:BB ratio in 10 1/3 innings. He’s not overpowering with his stuff, but he knows how to pitch and will probably land a multi-year deal on the open market. He could fit in LA, but odds are, he ends up somewhere else.

RHP Tyler Mahle, Braves (32)

Another trade deadline acquisition, Mahle was fantastic with the Braves after coming over from the Giants: 1.99 ERA, 3.32 FIP, 18.6 K-BB%. That carried over into the postseason, as he allowed just two earned runs in two starts for the pitching-starved Braves. He might have earned himself a more lucrative contract based on what he did with Atlanta, and they should probably keep him. The Dodgers got a firsthand look at Mahle in the NLDS, so they know what he can bring. However, a command-over-stuff righty doesn’t really fit the Dodgers’ MO. Also, they might have a future version of Mahle in Emmet Sheehan already.

Trade Market

LHP Nick Lodolo, Reds (28)

Lodolo might be the quintessential pitcher who fits what the Dodgers could be looking for in this role. He has an injury history, so a reduced workload could benefit him. He also has premium stuff from the left side and only has two more years of team control, and it’s safe to assume the Reds won’t retain his services after the 2028 season. His stuff took a significant step back in 2026, but he has enjoyed a lot of red in his Statcast ledger for the majority of his career, including a strong 2025 season. He’s also a buy-low candidate, which could interest the Dodgers.

LHP Shane McClanahan, Rays (29)

Full disclosure: I’m a big McClanahan fan. I thought the Dodgers should have drafted him in 2018. Instead, they opted for J.T. Ginn, who didn’t sign (and ultimately turned into Michael Busch, who turned into Zyhir Hope, who turned into Skubal), but I digress. McClanahan missed all of 2024 and 2025 recovering from Tommy John surgery (’24) and a nagging triceps-nerve injury in (’25). He isn’t all the way back to his 2022 form, but he did show some flashes in 2026. However, mid-back and forearm tightness cost him the remainder of his 2026 season. Why would the Rays trade him? Well, he’s a free agent after the 2027 season and is arbitration-eligible for the second time and projected to make $6.6 million. Only three other players on the roster are projected to make more than him, and we know how the Rays love to shed salary. He’s a riskier proposition than most on this list, but dammit, he shoulda been a Dodger already.

RHP Jack Perkins, Athletics (26)

Wait, Perkins is far from established and has a career 5.64 ERA and 4.51 FIP. Why would he be attractive to the Dodgers? I’m not sure he really is, but there are some underlying factors that work in his favor. First, he had a 16.5 K-BB% in 2026, and that’s with more than half of his innings taking place in a Triple-A ballpark. His home/away splits are pretty drastic:

• Home: 7.34 ERA, 5.65 FIP, .383 wOBA
• Away: 4.66 ERA, 3.74 FIP, .312 wOBA

He also has a 34.3% chase rate, which puts him in the 85th percentile, thanks in part to a sweeper and changeup that, together, induced a 37.8 Whiff%, as well as a .267 wOBA. He’s a very interesting out-of-the-box option for all teams, not just the Dodgers. The A’s don’t have a real reason to move him since they need pitching, but with (at least) one more year at Sutter Health Park, expect more of the same from the A’s hurlers.

LHP Ryan Weathers, Yankees (26)

With the emergence of Cam Schlittler and the already established trio of Gerrit Cole, Max Fried and Carlos Rodon, the Yankees’ rotation is pretty full. They also have guys like Luis Gil, Carlos Lagrange, Elmer Rodriguez and Clarke Schmidt capable of starting, so trading Weathers could help the Yankees patch some holes in their lineup. He’s coming off a career year that saw him post a 3.60 ERA, 3.62 FIP, an 18.5 K-BB% and a 2.5 WAR. If they aren’t committed to him as a full-time starting pitcher, moving him might make more sense, as he’s entering arbitration for the first time.

——

Of the non-internal options listed above, here’s who I think is most likely, not necessarily who I’d want the most:

1. Bubic
2. Flaherty
3. Griffin
4. Bieber
5. Buehler
6. McClanahan
7. Mahle
8. Lodolo
9. Weathers
10. Perkins

Bubic seems like the safest bet. Flaherty’s familiarity helps, while Griffin’s left-handedness helps him. Bieber, Buehler and McClanahan could benefit most from a true 6-man rotation. Mahle seems like a better fit in Atlanta, Lodolo is a lesser version of McClanahan, Weathers is very interesting while Perkins seems like a better project for a team that doesn’t have World Series aspirations.

If the Dodgers don’t re-sign Skubal, they might need to add a starting pitcher. They have some good in-house options, but for a number of reasons, adding an external arm for depth might still make some sense.