As this year's trade deadline drew closer, the Los Angeles Dodgers landing Tarik Skubal felt like an inevitability.

Thus, it was no surprise when the Dodgers acquired the superstar pitcher from the Detroit Tigers for three top prospects.

Skubal is now a free agent, and has raved about his nearly three-month stay in LA. Reports say Skubal enjoyed his time with the Dodgers and would love to return.

So a long-term deal to remain with the Dodgers should be an inevitably, right?

Not so fast.

According to reporting from Katie Woo of The Athletic, the Dodgers are not interested in another long-term, record-breaking contract on their books.

Why?

"The looming expiration of the collective bargaining agreement and the ensuing financial uncertainty will likely deter the Dodgers from agreeing to any lucrative long-term deals this offseason," Woo wrote.

That doesn't mean the Dodgers won't pursue Skubal. The team has already met with his camp and is expected to have a formal meeting with the star pitcher next week.

However, the Dodgers' best offer will likely be similar to the one they gave Kyle Tucker last year: a short-term, high AAV deal.

"According to several team sources, the Dodgers’ interest in a return hinges on Skubal accepting a shorter offer than he’ll likely receive from other bidders," Woo added. "The Athletic projected Skubal to land a nine-year, $405 million deal, which would top Yoshinobu Yamamoto’s mark of 12 years, $325 million as the highest-paid pitcher in MLB.

"The Dodgers will stray from that type of contract."

If Skubal would be open to giving up long-term security for a record amount of money over the next few seasons, the Dodgers would likely remain the favorites to sign him.

However, according to ESPN's Jeff Passan, Skubal has no interest in that type of deal.

"Certainly the Dodgers will be in the mix on Skubal, but to what extent is unclear," Passan wrote. "Unlike Kyle Tucker last offseason, Skubal has no interest in a shorter-term, higher-dollar deal, which could disadvantage the Dodgers when contending with the New York Mets (or the San Diego Padres or Toronto Blue Jays)."

Passan later added that Skubal "will command at least $45 million a year." That will likely be over at least eight years.

Of course, things can change. The Dodgers weren't expecting to sign Tucker last offseason when he had long-term deals on the table.

However, for a pitcher who's already had three major elbow surgeries, it appears long-term security is going to be more important to Skubal.

For a Dodgers team that already has an aging core and wants to keep their World Series window open for years to come, another long-term contract doesn't appear to be in the cards.

So you do the math.

Which Teams Are Pursuing Tarik Skubal?

The Dodgers, New York Mets, Toronto Blue Jays and San Diego Padres reportedly have meetings with Skubal next week.

There are two additional mystery teams who have meetings set up with Skubal, according to the New York Post's Jon Heyman.

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