2026 MLB Free Agents Rumors, Predictions for Tarik Skubal, Brandon Lowe, More

The Milwaukee Brewers are your 2026 World Series champions, which can only mean one thing.

The MLB offseason has officially arrived.

The Brewers might be celebrating still, and the Tampa Bay Rays have joined a few different teams at various stages of the grief process, but all 30 front offices have reached roster-building time.

So, let's put a spotlight on some possible roster-building manuevers and dig into the latest buzz around baseball's free agents.

Pirates Could Afford Brandon Lowe?

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The Pittsburgh Pirates' trade for Brandon Lowe last offseason could not have gone any better. In fact, you could argue it went a little too well, since his offensive production (35 homers, 96 RBI) and defensive improvement seemingly positioned him for the kind of pay raise that could price out Pittsburgh.

If that was the fear for Pirates fans, a recent contract projection from The Athletic's Jim Bowden (a former MLB executive) landed lower than expected: three years, $45 million. Bowden also listed the Pirates as one of Lowe's three best team fits, along with the San Francisco Giants and San Diego Padres.

If that's all it takes to get Lowe's signature on the dotted line, the Pirates should be ready to pounce. He's had some availability issues in his past, but if those are behind him (284 games played the past two seasons), a new contract could be heavy on rewards and light on risks.

That just doesn't seem like it will be enough—in annual salary, or in years. And if his actual contract value climbs higher, it probably will force a departure from Pittsburgh and steer him toward a deeper-pocketed club with an opening on the infield.

Prediction: Lowe signs with the New York Yankees.

No Detroit Return for Tarik Skubal?

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For all of the unknowns in this MLB offseason, the clearest certainty is that a colossal contract (very possibly a record-setting one) is coming Tarik Skubal's way.

He isn't necessarily a perfect free agent, what with his 30th birthday fast approaching and the fact he had to navigate around elbow surgery this season. That said, his previous two campaigns featured Cy Young awards, and this one showed similar dominance (2.51 FIP this year; 2.45 and 2.49 in 2025 and 2024, respectively).

He'll send this market in a frenzy. Every big-spender—starting with the Los Angeles Dodgers and New York Mets—will at least weigh making a bid, and surprise suitors could surface, too. That said, cold water is already getting dumped on the idea of Skubal heading back to the Detroit Tigers.

"It's probably too early to handicap this as Mets versus Dodgers," ESPN's Alden Gonzalez wrote. "... Others will surely step up—though it seems highly unlikely that the Tigers, who never made an extension offer Skubal's side deemed competitive, will be among them."

While that would have been a fun way for this story to end, it never felt too feasible. Because, in all likelihood, it probably isn't too early to consider this a two-team race between New York and L.A.

Prediction: Skubal re-signs with the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Cubs Overhauling Rotation?

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The Chicago Cubs knew they were headed for a busy offseason given the number of free agents on their roster, but they just had even more business added to their to-do list.

Per ESPN's Jesse Rogers, Clay Holmes and Matthew Boyd will both decline options to enter free agency. They'll also see a lot of familiar faces from this rotation when they get there, since Shota Imanaga, Kevin Gausman and David Peterson are on the open market as well.

Holmes, acquired in a trade deadline deal with the New York Mets, pitched to a 3.29 ERA over 101.1 innings split between the teams. Boyd, meanwhile, had a 3.91 ERA and 1.21 WHIP in his 126.2 innings.

Of the five pitchers listed above, Rogers opined that one or two "could return." That feels about right, since the Cubs need to upgrade their rotation while also addressing other holes on the roster.

Prediction: Holmes and Peterson re-sign with the Cubs.