Los Angeles Dodgers All-Star catcher Will Smith has caught for MVPs, Cy Young award winners, and All-Star-caliber arms across his LA tenure.<\/p>\n
During the festivities surrounding the All-Star game, Smith spent time with some of the greatest talents that the sport has to offer \u2014 and since he is signed through the 2033 season, he is already planting the seeds for a notable Detroit Tigers ace who hits the free agent market ahead of the 2027 campaign:<\/p>\n
Tarik Skubal.<\/p>\n
More news: Dodgers Could \u2018Tempt\u2019 A\u2019s in Blockbuster Trade for All-Star Mason Miller<\/p>\n
\u201cAs the catcher, you want to catch all the best names,\u201d Smith said. \u201cAs the Dodgers, we want to win the World Series, and that means getting the best players each and every year.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n The Dodgers have certainly shown that they are never afraid to cash giant checks for top talent in recent years, and it has paid off with four National League pennants since 2017.<\/p>\n \u201cAfter 2026, I don\u2019t know what we\u2019re going to do,\u201d said Smith. \u201cThat\u2019s up to the front office. But it\u2019s going to be a high price tag for him.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n Skubal previously turned down a short-term offer from Detroit, but Detroit Free Press insider Evan Petzold predicts a 10-year, $400 million deal for the southpaw, assuming he keeps up his elite production.<\/p>\n The production in question is a Cy Young award and his first All-Star nod last season with an AL-leading 2.39 ERA to go along with an MLB-leading 228 strikeouts to just 35 walks. This season Skubal is tossing a 2.19 ERA with an absurd 10.25 strikeout-to-walk ratio that leads the majors.<\/p>\n When asked about the free agent market this past spring training, Skubal spoke highly of the Dodgers and how they treat their most talented assets.<\/p>\n \u201cYou see with the Dodgers, right? A lot of guys want to go play there because they have a great organization, and they know they\u2019re going to win, and they\u2019re going to have a ton of success, and they\u2019re paid pretty well to go there and play,\u201d Skubal said. \u201cThose are big goals as a player. You want to win, and then you want to get paid for your services. That\u2019s the goal in baseball.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Los Angeles Dodgers All-Star catcher Will Smith has caught for MVPs, Cy Young award winners, and All-Star-caliber arms across his LA tenure. During the festivities surrounding the… <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":85625,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-85624","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-mlb"],"yoast_head":"\n