MLB rumors: Tarik Skubal’s market already hot, contenders eyeing Japanese slugger Teruaki Sato

The 2026-27 MLB offseason is a bit more than a week old and already the hot stove moves and rumors are coming in. We've ranked the top 50 free agents and top 25 trade candidates, and built you a calendar of the important offseason dates and deadlines you need to know. Here now are Friday's hot stove happenings.

The market for two-time Cy Young winner Tarik Skubal, far and away the offseason's best free agent, is already hot, according to the New York Post. Skubal is expected to sign in November, before the collective bargaining agreement expires at 11:59 p.m. ET on Dec. 1, though a deal is not imminent. Talks are underway, however, and his market is moving.

Skubal is expected to sign a record contract at least in total value, and possibly in average annual value. Yoshinobu Yamamoto's $325 million deal with the Dodgers is the largest pitching contract ever given out. Max Scherzer and Justin Verlander's matching $43.3 million salaries with the Mets years ago set the record for the average annual value for a pitcher.

The Dodgers, Mets, Padres, Phillies, and Yankees are among the teams linked to Japanese slugger Teruaki Sato, reports the New York…

Original source: https://www.cbssports.com/