Dodgers acquire Tarik Skubal in blockbuster trade with aims of threepeat

The reigning champion Los Angeles Dodgers are acquiring left-handed starter and back-to-back American League Cy Young winner Tarik Skubal in a blockbuster trade with the Detroit Tigers, ESPN reports. In return, the Tigers are receiving a package headlined by outfielder Zyhir Hope, along with right-handers River Ryan and Brady Smith.

With the deadline trade, the Dodgers, already boasting a roster and rotation stuffed with stars, have acquired the top talent available in their mission to win the World Series for a third straight season. 

The 29-year-old Skubal, who’s slated for free agency this coming offseason, missed time earlier this season after undergoing arthroscopic elbow surgery. While that injury likely removed him from contention for a third straight Cy Young award, he’s still pitched at an ace level when healthy: 

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Armed with a blazing fastball and a repertoire filled with plus offerings, Skubal during his 2024 and 2025 Cy Young campaigns was simply dominant. Across 62 starts and 387 ⅓ combined innings in those seasons, Skubal put up an ERA of 2.30 while striking out 31.2% of opposing batters and amassing a WAR of 13.1. With the deal, Skubal becomes the first pitcher to be traded in the offseason or season following a Cy Young win since R.A. Dickey in 2012. 

Skubal will be owed the remainder of a $32 million salary for this season, and because he was traded in-season, he’s now ineligible to receive a qualifying offer from the Dodgers.  

For the Tigers, the decision to trade Skubal was not an obvious one. While they’ve been among the most disappointing teams in baseball this season, they’ve played stronger than their record at an underlying level. As well, the bar for contention in the American League this season is quite low. Ultimately, though, lead decision-maker Scott Harris decided that getting something in return for Skubal before he hits free agency was in the organization’s best interests. 

As for the Dodgers, they add Skubal to a high-end rotation that presently is quite compromised by injury. Shohei Ohtani is presently limited to DH duty because of knee and bicep issues, and it’s not certain when he’ll be able to return to the mound. Tyler Glasnow, meanwhile, has been sidelined since early May with back spasms. While he may be able to begin a minor-league rehab assignment soon, a pitcher with Glasnow’s injury history carries no guarantees. Elsewhere, Blake Snell has made only one start this season. He underwent surgery to remove bone chips in his elbow back in May. He’s on rehab assignment presently, but, like Glasnow, Snell has a substantial injury history that can’t be ignored. The Dodgers also have no idea when Gavin Stone will be able to pitch again as he continues an uncertain recovery from a spring shoulder injury. 

The goal in acquiring Skubal to join the front of the rotation alongside Yoshinobu Yamamoto is, in true Dodger fashion, to win the World Series. On that front, Skubal for his career has made six playoff starts, and in those starts he’s put up an ERA of 2.04 with 56 strikeouts and just five unintentional walks in 39 ⅔ innings. A secondary and related motivation on the part of the Dodgers and lead exec Andrew Friedman was to keep Skubal away from teams that figure to challenge the Dodgers for the pennant; the Braves and Phillies have been tied to Skubal in recent days and weeks, and the Brewers — with perhaps the strongest farm system in the game — have been strongly linked. Instead, it’s another needle-moving, headline-grabbing addition by Friedman and MLB‘s contemporary dynasty.

The Tigers’ return

On the return front, the package going back to the Tigers is fronted by Hope, a 21-year-old former 11th-rounder out of a Virginia high school. Coming into the season, CBS Sports ranked Hope as the No. 36 prospect in all of baseball. Here’s part of that write-up: 

“Hope, the best part of the return on Michael Busch, batted .266/.376/.428 with 13 home runs and 27 stolen bases while spending most of the year in High-A. He’s a physical left-handed hitter with clear loft to his swing. He knows how to lift and pull the ball, which is a good thing given his innate strength. Hope also possesses a patient approach that, when married to his swing-and-miss tendencies (he connected on fewer than 70% of his swings in High-A), could result in an uncomfortably high strikeout rate. A larger sample of him in Double-A should reveal just how high.”

He’s improved that already impressive standing with a strong season to date. In 94 games for Double-A Tulsa, Hope has a slash line of .293/.369/.530 with 23 home runs and 18 stolen bases. Overall, he has an .862 OPS across parts of four minor league seasons. Hope in 2026 has split time between the outfield corners. 

Ryan, who soon turns 28, made four highly effective starts for the Dodgers in 2024, and this season he’s made eight starts in Triple-A in his comeback from Tommy John surgery, which he underwent in August of 2024. The 21-year-old Smith, who was recently promoted to High-A, has a 4.36 ERA in 21 starts this season with 113 strikeouts and 30 walks in 74 ⅓ innings.