Good Morning San Diego: Tarik Skubal is rumored, but is he right for Padres?

Tarik Skubal is the top free agent on the market. On top of that he is a left-handed ace that should be the Opening Day starter for any team in the league not named the Los Angeles Dodgers, Atlanta Braves, Milwaukee Brewers or Pittsburgh Pirates… and even those teams would strongly consider putting Skubal on the mound in Game 1 of the 2027 season.

The San Diego Padres have been rumored as a possible landing spot for the lefty in at least a few publications, and the argument for the move is that it would echo the commitment new owners Jose E. Feliciano and Kwanza Jones made in press conferences and in their end-of-season letter to season ticket holders. The Padres are in need of pitching this offseason and a move to land Skubal would show the Padres fans and MLB the new owners mean what they say.

The question all San Diego fans have to ask themselves is whether or not Skubal is worth the huge payday he is expected to get. Padres fans know all too well how volatile a pitcher can be. Joe Musgrove missed the majority of two seasons with an elbow injury, Nick Pivetta missed most of the 2026 season with an arm injury and Yu Darvish never touched the mound this season as a result of an arm injury.

San Diego ace and likely soon-to-be free agent Michael King missed a chunk of the 2025 season because he “slept wrong” and injured a nerve in his shoulder/neck.