Photo by Jeffrey Hyde from Bryan, TX, United States (CC BY-SA 2.0), via Wikimedia Commons

Tarik Skubal will smash big-money record. What does history say about the risks?

Tarik Skubal is poised to shatter current financial benchmarks for starting pitchers before the league's December 1 deadline. After securing back-to-back Cy Young honors, the left-hander is entering high-stakes negotiations with several organizations, including the Los Angeles Dodgers, who utilized him during their recent postseason run.

While his elite performance is undisputed, his medical history includes Tommy John surgery, a 2022 flexor tendon procedure, and a 2025 elbow operation. Historical data on the ten largest pitching contracts suggests that while injury concerns persist, many of these massive investments have yielded significant postseason success for the signing clubs.

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