Tarik Skubal declined to discuss his impending free agency after the Los Angeles Dodgers were eliminated from the postseason Thursday night. The left-hander offered a brief response following the Dodgers’ 6-4 loss to the Milwaukee Brewers in Game 4 of the National League Championship Series.
“I’m not going to comment on my future really at all. Today sucks, you know, and that’s kind of where my head’s at,” Skubal said, according to Sonja Chen, who shared his comments on X.
The defeat ended Los Angeles’ hopes of winning a third consecutive World Series title. Milwaukee completed the four-game sweep and advanced to the World Series for the first time since 1982.
Skubal’s future is now an important offseason question for the Dodgers. The two-time American League Cy Young Award winner is approaching free agency after joining Los Angeles in a trade from the Detroit Tigers earlier this year.
His arrival strengthened a rotation that already featured several established starters. However, the Dodgers’ postseason exit means the organization must now evaluate its roster and determine how to approach the upcoming offseason.
Skubal finished the 2026 regular season with a 12-7 record, a 2.72 ERA and 186 strikeouts across 158 2/3 innings. Those numbers followed another strong campaign for the left-hander, who won consecutive American League Cy Young Awards in 2024 and 2025.
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Skubal also contributed during the playoffs, recording a 2.45 ERA and 14 strikeouts across 11 innings in two postseason starts. However, the Dodgers could not overcome Milwaukee’s pitching and timely hitting across the NLCS.
The Brewers entered the series after finishing the regular season with a National League-best 103-59 record. Los Angeles finished 100-62, winning the NL West, but its postseason run ended four games short of another World Series appearance.
Milwaukee won Thursday’s decisive game after falling behind 4-0 early. Shohei Ohtani hit a three-run homer for Los Angeles, but the Brewers rallied and secured the 6-4 victory to complete the sweep.
Skubal has not publicly outlined his plans for free agency, and his comments offered no indication of where he might pitch next season. With the Dodgers eliminated, attention will turn to the club’s offseason decisions and whether it can retain one of baseball’s premier starting pitchers.
