Dodgers Owe More Than $1B in Deferred Money, Projecting Tarik Skubal's Potential Contract

The Los Angeles Dodgers are back in the news after trading for Tarik Skubal, which further drove home just how loaded their roster is as they chase a third straight World Series title.

With no salary cap in Major League Baseball, at least for now, they have been able to deal out a number of significant contracts even if the acquisition of Skubal was via trade from the Detroit Tigers and not via another head-turning free agency deal.

But another star player joining the roster was yet another reminder of just how much deferred money the Dodgers owe to their players:

In December 2025, ESPN reported Edwin Díaz's contract put the Dodgers over $1 billion in deferred money through 2047. The highest number from that group is, of course, Shohei Ohtani, who is set to receive $680 million in payments from 2034 to 2043.

As for Skubal, he is scheduled for free agency next offseason.

It would be anything but surprising if he returned to the Dodgers, though, especially if he helped lead them to another title this season. USA Today's Bob Nightengale reported before the trade the Dodgers were Skubal's "first preference," so there will surely be mutual interest this offseason.

The tricky part is projecting what his deal will be, especially since there could be a lockout during the upcoming offseason as the owners and players fight about whether there will be a salary cap.

Whether there is a salary cap or not will go a long way toward determining how Skubal's negotiations will unfold. If there isn't, the Dodgers could use a bunch of deferred money once again to make the deal work and remain the top team in baseball, like they have with a number of their other negotiations in recent years.

And they will use other pitcher deals as benchmarks since Skubal is 29 years old and arguably the best pitcher in the league.

According to Spotrac, Yoshinobu Yamamoto's 12-year, $325 million deal is the biggest one in terms of total value among all pitchers across the league (not counting Ohtani as a two-way star). Gerrit Cole isn't far behind with a nine-year, $324 million contract.

With that as the backdrop, the projection here is Skubal will land an eight-year, $350 million deal.

He is still young, completely dominant and will have those other deals as benchmarks he will surely look to surpass. Perhaps that deal will include plenty of deferrals, especially if he signs with the Dodgers.

But don't be surprised when it's a record-breaking one.