Blue Jays To Meet With Tarik Skubal

The race for left-hander Tarik Skubal now includes the Blue Jays. Jon Heyman of the New York Post reports that Toronto is among the clubs meeting with the two-time Cy Young winner. The Blue Jays join the Dodgers, Mets, and Padres as teams known to be sitting down with Skubal and agent Scott Boras. Heyman adds that two other mystery clubs are expected to get meetings as well.

If the Blue Jays win the Skubal sweepstakes, they’d be taking home the top prize on the starting pitcher market for the second straight season. Toronto secured Dylan Cease on a seven-year, $210MM deal last winter. It was easily the biggest contract handed out to a starter, far surpassing the commitments Detroit made to Framber Valdez and Boston to Ranger Suarez. The Cease contract was also a franchise record, which Skubal would likely smash.

The Cease signing continued a steady trend of spending for Toronto. That’s expected to continue this winter. Team president Mark Shapiro told reporters shortly after the end of the season that he didn’t foresee any changes to payroll. “My expectation is we’ll be in a similar area of support and resources,” Shapiro said, relayed by Ben Nicholson-Smith of Sportsnet.

The Blue Jays ranked fifth in payroll at the end of the season at $276,327,620, per our Payroll Tracker. They currently sit at $238,704,279, which still ranks fifth. George Springer’s six-year, $150MM deal is now off the books. Shane Bieber, Jameson Taillon, and Max Scherzer all hit free agency. The club also declined Myles Straw’s $8MM option.

Toronto struggled with pitching injuries this past season. Bowden Francis, Jose Berrios, and Cody Ponce combined to make one start. Trey Yesavage, Bieber, and Scherzer missed time. The team added Jose Soriano and Spencer Arrighetti in separate deals at the trade deadline. Both should be in the mix for rotation spots in 2027. Cease and Yesavage will be atop the rotation, with Ponce rounding out the group, assuming he’s recovered from his severe knee injury.

Skubal would form an imposing duo with Cease at the top of the rotation. With Skubal switching leagues midseason, Cease nearly grabbed the AL Cy Young, but fell to the Yankees’ Cam Schlittler. Cease led the AL in K/9 and earned the first All-Star nod of his career.

Cease and Skubal would also be a durable tandem. Cease missed a few weeks with hamstring and shoulder issues in 2026. It marked his first non-illness-related trips to the IL in his career. Skubal needed elbow surgery in May, but barely missed a month of action and was his normal dominant self upon returning. He reached 190+ frames in both 2024 and 2025.