Dodgers Targeting Cy Young Candidate in Potential Blockbuster Trade Deadline Deal: Report
“Everything has a price.”
That’s the phrase that one source told Sports Illustrated’s Tom Verducci in regards to the Detroit Tigers potentially trading ace Tarik Skubal.
Skubal, a leading candidate for the American League Cy Young award this season, is not expected to be moved at the deadline. However, Verducci reports the Los Angeles Dodgers and Baltimore Orioles are “interested in putting together packages loaded with top prospects” to try to sway Detroit to move him.
Skubal, if moved, would be the best pitcher traded this deadline. The 27-year-old first-time All-Star is in the midst of his best season as a pro, sporting a 10-3 record with a Major League-best 2.41 ERA through 19 starts. He also has an incredible 140 strikeouts across his 116 innings of work.
Skubal is a hard-throwing left-handed pitcher with a loaded pitch mix, and would fill an enormous need in Los Angeles as a lefty ace. Skubal is also under team control through the 2026 season, making him a true superstar trade candidate.
The Tigers would want a haul for Skubal, but the Dodgers (and Orioles) have the farm systems to get a deal done. Skubal also has fewer question marks than Chicago White Sox ace Garrett Crochet, who’s already thrown his career-high in innings pitched after moving to a starting pitcher this year.
If the Dodgers wanted to make the biggest splash of the deadline, Skubal would be that guy. It sounds like L.A. is interested in making it happen, but they would have to give Detroit a strong enough package to consummate a deal.
