Baseball executives may not say it out loud yet, but across front offices and agent circles, one possibility keeps surfacing with increasing confidence: Paul Skenes in Dodger blue feels less like fantasy and more like inevitability. The timeline is still years away — Skenes won’t hit free agency until after the 2029 season — but in a sport where long-term chess moves define dynasties, the dots are already connecting.

Start with the obvious. Money.

If the current Collective Bargaining Agreement framework remains intact, the Los Angeles Dodgers will have both the financial muscle and the organizational boldness to make Skenes the highest-paid pitcher in baseball history. They’ve done it before. They’ll do it again. This is a franchise that doesn’t merely participate in bidding wars — it resets the market.

But this isn’t just about dollars. It’s about narrative. Geography. Legacy.

Skenes is a Southern California native, born in Fullerton. He grew up immersed in the region’s baseball culture, openly rooting for the Los Angeles Angels during his childhood. Yet in a recent interview, it wasn’t the Angels as an organization that he spotlighted. It was one player.

“I’ve been an Angels fan my whole life,” Skenes said. “I’ve definitely modeled Shohei Ohtani as best as I can.”

There it is.

The name that changes everything: Shohei Ohtani.

Skenes was just 15 when Ohtani made his MLB debut in 2018, arriving with unprecedented hype and redefining modern baseball. Like countless young pitchers, Skenes watched Ohtani-mania unfold in awe. Unlike most of those teenagers, Skenes now has the talent to one day share a clubhouse with his idol — and not just any clubhouse, but one already engineered for October dominance.

The Dodgers’ pursuit of greatness isn’t subtle. They stockpile MVPs. They absorb record-setting contracts. They build rotations that look like All-Star teams. And they don’t shy away from adding more even when the depth chart appears full. Just as there’s no doubt they’ll monitor elite arms like Tarik Skubal when opportunities arise, there’s even less doubt they’ll be first in line when Skenes becomes available.

Because generational pitching isn’t something you pass on. It’s something you secure.

Of course, the bidding will be ferocious. The New York Mets have shown they’re unafraid of astronomical payrolls. The Toronto Blue Jays and Philadelphia Phillies could easily escalate offers into historic territory. Skenes, if he continues on his current trajectory, won’t just be a free agent — he’ll be the free agent of the decade. Teams will line up with blank checks.

But here’s the uncomfortable truth for the rest of baseball: the Dodgers don’t just offer money. They offer relevance. They offer October. They offer rings.

And they offer Ohtani.

That matters.

While Skenes’ childhood allegiance leaned toward Anaheim, sentimentality doesn’t win championships. The Angels, despite past star power, have struggled to build sustained postseason success. Even if ownership were to aggressively enter the bidding, the question would linger: why would Skenes choose uncertainty over a perennial contender if the financial gap is negligible?

The Pittsburgh Pirates, of course, still control the present. They have time to attempt an extension. They have time to build around him. But time and financial flexibility are different currencies. By the time Skenes approaches free agency, his value may have ballooned beyond what a small-market club can realistically justify. Even now, years out, executives privately wonder whether the Pirates can construct an offer competitive enough to deter the inevitable.

And that inevitability keeps circling back to Los Angeles.

Imagine it: Skenes at the top of a Dodgers rotation already engineered for dominance. Ohtani anchoring the lineup while continuing to redefine the boundaries of two-way superstardom. October crowds roaring under Chavez Ravine lights. A franchise that measures success not by playoff appearances, but by parades.

It’s speculative — for now. Four seasons in baseball can feel like an eternity. Injuries, CBA shifts, market shocks — all could reshape the landscape. But assuming stability, the logic is relentless. Southern California roots. Idolizing Ohtani. A franchise with limitless financial capacity and a relentless appetite for stars.

Front offices are already gaming it out. Agents are already calculating future leverage. Fans are already debating inevitability versus loyalty.

The question isn’t whether the Dodgers will pursue Paul Skenes. They will.

The real question is whether anyone can outbid not just their offer — but their appeal.

Because if Skenes truly modeled himself after Ohtani, if winning at the highest level is the ultimate goal, then the gravitational pull of Los Angeles may prove impossible to resist. And when 2029 arrives, what feels like speculation today could look, in hindsight, like the most predictable blockbuster in modern baseball history.

Stay tuned. The countdown may have already begun.