With reports that the Detroit Tigers and ace pitcher Tarik Skubal are miles apart on a potential extension, arguably the best pitcher in baseball could soon be available via trade.
While the starting rotation is the least worrisome aspect of the roster, the Los Angeles Dodgers are lurking — and the prospect of trading for Skubal seems utterly mind-boggling considering the preexisting talent currently on the roster.
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Jim Bowden of The Athletic came up with a host of hypothetical Skubal trades. One of the trade packages involves the Dodgers, where in exchange for the two-time Cy Young Award winner, the Tigers would get Emmet Sheehan, Jackson Ferris, Justin Wrobleski, and Zyhir Hope.
“The Dodgers already have four aces in their rotation and an exciting development project in Roki Sasaki. However, teams can never have enough starting pitching, so the Dodgers have no reason not to add another ace to the top of the rotation, especially when they can offer a competitive package and have the resources to keep him long-term, as well,” Bowden wrote.
Bowden also theorizes that playoff hero Tyler Glasnow could be involved going to the Motor City if the Dodgers wanted to hold onto the younger, cheaper option in Sheehan.
“Another idea would be to substitute Tyler Glasnow for Sheehan in the deal. This would give the Tigers a top-of-the-rotation starter to replace Skubal and they would control Glasnow for three more years. Glasnow does not have a no-trade clause with the Dodgers and has $94 million remaining on his contract if the team-half of the 2028 mutual option is exercised.”
Should the Dodgers Trade for Tarik Skubal?
Skubal has one year left on his deal. For the Dodgers to give up this caliber of package, which would include two of their best young pitchers, the team’s best pitching prospect (Ferris), and a top-30 prospect in baseball (Hope), there may have to be some assurances that Skubal would proceed with a “wink wink” deal that he’d verbally agree to extend in the offseason.
Pairing Skubal with Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Shohei Ohtani, Blake Snell, and Glasnow would easily be the most talented rotation ever assembled. The Dodgers would enter 2026 as the big favorites to win a third-straight World Series, and even if Skubal is a one-year rental, maximizing the primes of Ohtani, Mookie Betts, and Freddie Freeman may be the ultimate driving force here.
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Photo Credit: Junfu Han / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
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3 Responses
The Dodgers aren’t giving up with four top 100 minor leaguers for anyone.
Many analyst believe that Ferris and Hope have major issues, control and strikeouts respectively that may rules them out anyway. Hopes strikeout against A and High A pitchers has raised concerns by Dodgers minor league coaches and major league scouts. Ferris had major control issues last year. Maybe he can turn it around maybe not but to give him and Hope up to get Tarik Skubal is a no brainer…
This is just clickbait. Why on earth would the Dodgers even consider something as stupid as this??? Besides already having the best starting rotation, by far, Skubal will be outrageously expensive. Dodgers’ current rotation, as well as the young backups, age-wise is still young enough for the next 3-4 seasons, at least. It would be needlessly wasting money just to get a marque name – which in and of itself is unnecessary. Hard pass here on Skubal. Maybe work on a reliever or two (young guys, though), experiment with some of our current crop of young starters and see if the can/want to relieve (as a way to get onto the major league roster and it’s $800K minimum salary rather than spending more time in the minors). Possibly look for an outfielder to replace Teo in RF (move him to LF – he is still under contract for another couple of years). Make sure to re-sign Miggy and Kike~ they’re clubhouse presence, experience, and versatility are needed). Maybe look at a young up and comer like Spencer Steer of the Reds. He plays 7 positions, hits around 25 HRs per year, decent batting average, is young (27 yrs old) and is only now coming into his arb-1 year; also, he’s from Huntington Beach – born and raised. Worth a look. Just my two cents after closely following the Dodgers since 1958 (yes, I’m 78 years old….I even remember the 1955 World Series (Don Larson), the pennant race and WS win in 1959, and just about everything thereafter!