I don't necessarily disagree, but the problem is that its a terrible year to be dipping into the SP market. Skubal would obviously be great, but if you can't sign him who do you throw money at?
- Trevor Rogers is probably the second best guy, but hasn't been healthy or consistent and is probably getting 100-150M
- Next tier is a bunch of probable league average guys: Michael King, Freddy Peralta, Shota Imanaga, Clay Holmes, maybe Kaima Taira.
The more I think about it, the more I think Adrian Morejon migth move the needle more than any non-Skubal SP. He's been worth 2-3 WAR and 3+ WPA the last couple of years and he's the kind of guy you can rely on in a playoff series. I might prefer him and someone like Soroka, Woodruff, or Boyd on a short-term deal than go 3+ years on one of the mediocre SPs after Skubal.
That said, I could see this team thinking they could get bankable production from someone like Peralta, Rogers, or King and I trust them to make that call.