Owners begging agent to meet Tarik Skuball, threatening Dodgers free agency pursuit

LAS VEGAS –– Amid the many scripted (and strained) puns that Scott Boras came equipped with on Wednesday at MLB’s annual General Managers’ Meetings, the sport’s most prominent player agent got his biggest laugh from reporters with a little bit of improv.Fifteen minutes into his press conference at the Aria Resort and Casino, Boras was briefly interrupted when his cellphone unexpectedly rang.“Just another owner,” Boras quipped, “begging to meet with Skubal.”The line was the most succinct summation of the larger point Boras conveyed on Wednesday.Even with a lockout looming at the beginning of next month, the market for top free-agent pitcher Tarik Skubal is already taking lucrative shape.“It’s very clear that there is a dominant and strong Sku-bull market,” Boras boasted.“It’s pretty clear teams are not devoid of pursuing their championship fortunes, and they understand there’s only one Tar-ot card, no doubt.”Indeed, Boras will have no lack of suitors when it comes to his two-time Cy Young Award-winning client.

As the New York Post’s Jon Heyman reported, the left-handed ace is scheduled to meet with six teams –– the Dodgers, Mets, Padres and Blue Jays among them –– at the Boras Corporation’s California headquarters next week.“In the deep waters of talent treasure, there’s no time to come up for air,” Boras said.“So teams have filled their tanks, and they’re all clearly ready for the Skubal dive, no doubt.”The real question at this point is how aggressively clubs will bid for the 30-year-old superstar, especially with the league pushing for a salary cap (or other stricter spending limitations) in its fraught labor negotiations with the players’ union over a new collective bargaining agreement.Entering this offseason, the industry expectation was that Skubal would receive a long-term contract worth upwards of $400 million or more.Whether other teams are willing to go to such lengths, however, could be the bigge...