For reasons unknown (it’s money, it’s always money), there’s a non-zero chance Tarik Skubal is traded by the Detroit Tigers this winter. Being the best pitcher in baseball, and seeing what the Dodgers’ starting pitching did this postseason, I thought it’d be fun to imagine a world in which they traded for the southpaw.
Skubal, 29, is coming off a second consecutive American League Cy Young award with the Tigers. He posted a 2.21 ERA, 2.45 FIP, 27.8 K-BB% and a 6.6 fWAR. He’s going into his final year of team control before he assuredly lands a deal that bests Zack Wheeler‘s $42 million average annual value. The Scott Boras client is in line for one of the biggest paydays a pitcher has ever received.
The smart thing for the Tigers to do is to pay him what he’s worth. The late Mike Illich would. His son, Christopher, is hesitant. For a franchise that has had spurts of legitimate contention, losing Skubal for a draft pick after the season or an underwhelming trade package, is the worst thing Detroit could do. Of course, the almighty dollar tends to reign supreme, and if the billionaire owner of the Tigers can find a few hundred million bucks to pay his generational lefty, then he doesn’t deserve to have him. The fan base, on the other hand, does deserve to have him. It’d be a shame if Skubal is traded.
Having said that, the Dodgers may not appear to be the most logical landing spot, other than their baseball-ruining ways.
The Dodgers’ rotation is looking rather full — if such a thing can be said — at the moment. From Shohei Ohtani, to Blake Snell, to Tyler Glasnow, to Emmet Sheehan, to Roki Sasaki to World Series MVP Yoshinobu Yamamoto, there doesn’t appear to be much “room” for Skubal. Adding Skubal would definitely be an “embarrassment of riches” situation, but it would involved quite a few moving parts. If anything, that makes a deal more likely than it may appear, as we know Andrew Friedman is always down for complex deals.
Let’s break this thing down.
——
The Tigers were one game away from the 2025 ALCS. If they move Skubal, it isn’t going to be for 3-5 A-ball prospects, no matter how highly ranked or regarded they are. They still expect to compete in a winnable AL Central that could see the Guardians move Steven Kwan and the Twins a bad month from moving Pablo Lopez and Joe Ryan. The goal should be young talent, long-term talent and guys who can keep them competitive. A deal for Skubal by any team is going to require players off the MLB roster, and the Dodgers are no exception. So, which players the Dodgers could/would realistically move could interest the Tigers?
PitchersRHP Tyler GlasnowLHP Jackson FerrisRHP River RyanLHP Adam SerwinowskiRHP Emmet SheehanRHP Gavin StoneLHP Justin Wrobleski
Position PlayersIF Alex FreelandOF Josue De PaulaOF Zach EhrhardOF Zyhir HopeOF Andy PagesOF Mike SirotaOF/1B James Tibbs III
All these guys are either on the MLB roster or played at Double-A or higher at some point in 2025.
Among the pitchers, Glasnow has a big financial price tag, but getting him to, in effect, replace Skubal could help to mitigate the damage. Then again, Glasnow probably isn’t as valuable to other teams as he is to the Dodgers. Sheehan showed out last season and showed versatility by throwing well (at times) out of the bullpen. Same goes for Wrobleski (more out of the bullpen than the rotation). Ryan and Stone are coming back from injury. Ryan has the higher ceiling, while Stone has the higher floor. Ferris and Serwinowski would be in play for 2027 and beyond.
The position players are mostly outfielders, seeing as that’s where the Dodgers have some surplus when it comes to the minors. I’m not sure they create an even bigger hole in the outfield by trading Pages, but if he’s in demand for the game’s best pitcher, you have to consider including him. Freeland could take a little pressure off old friend Zack McKinstry, but with Gleyber Torres coming back on the qualifying offer, Freeland might not make as much sense. De Paula would be the biggest prize among the position players, but I’m not sure the Dodgers include him for one guaranteed year of Skubal. Hope seems like a more likely inclusion — and more likely than either Ehrhard, Sirota or Tibbs III. With Dillon Dingler and Jake Rogers in the fold, the Tigers probably wouldn’t be overly interested in Dalton Rushing.
The Tigers don’t appear to be incentivized to trade him right now, so to make them do so before the season it’ll end up hurting, and indeed it would.
The Proposal
To DET: Zyhir Hope, Emmet Sheehan, River Ryan, Joendry Vargas, Justin WrobleskiTo LA: Tarik Skubal, Eduardo Valencia
Why it works for Detroit: Sheehan and Ryan (or Stone, if the Tigers prefer) go into Detroit’s rotation in an attempt to replace Skubal’s production. With Jack Flaherty, Casey Mize and Troy Melton, the Tigers could do worse for a 5-man rotation. They also get to add Wrobleski to the bullpen. He had the 5th-best FIP among all MLB relievers (minimum 50 IP) in 2025, as well as a Top 15 mark in K-BB% (24.6). He could be a weapon out of the bullpen that is looking to replace traded deadline pickup Kyle Finnegan (who isn’t expected back). Hope also gives them a premium outfield prospect to go with the game’s best outfield prospect in Max Clark. Hope was ranked the Dodgers’ 2nd-best prospect overall by Baseball Prospectus and FanGraphs and 4th-best by Baseball America. Also, the Tigers wouldn’t add payroll, save the projected $17.8 million they’d have to pay Skubal in his final year of arbitration and could use that money to land a hitter (Alex Bregman?) they could absolutely use. They’d also land a lottery ticket in former top international signee Vargas.
Why it works for LA: Not sure how many more times I can say “best pitcher in baseball,” but here we go. They’d land the best pitcher in baseball while not significantly damaging their MLB roster or farm system. The Tigers could insist on Glasnow instead of Ryan, which would be fine. Some money might need to change hands, but it could happen. If they insist on someone like Pages, well, perhaps the Dodgers would find a way to make it happen. It seems like the breaking point would be De Paula, but he also wouldn’t be untouchable in this situation.
Skubal
Yamamoto
Snell
Ohtani
Glasnow
Sasaki
That seems incredibly unfair, and yet, not out of the realm of possibility. Having Skubal and Snell (and Glasnow?) able to go on regular rest would, in theory, help the Dodgers manage Ohtani, Sasaki and Yamamoto’s workloads. How that would happen is another question and above my paygrade.
Skubal would be a welcome addition and mitigate the Dodgers’ apparent need to add another big money closer this winter. Losing Sheehan would sting a bit, but even for just one year of Skubal — going for a 3-peat — he would be an acceptable loss. Valencia is a catcher who would give the Dodgers a little depth at the position in the upper minors that they’re, surprisingly, lacking.
——
When Mookie Betts was available, the Dodgers went out and got him. When Freddie Freeman was a free agent, they went out and got him. When Ohtani was a free agent, they went out of and got him. The point being, the Dodgers pursue elite talent, when the opportunity arises. Outside of Paul Skenes, there might not be a more appealing starting pitcher to add to an already full rotation. It also wouldn’t back them into a corner when it comes to adding a late-inning, high-priced reliever.
Yes, starting pitching isn’t a need for the Dodgers this winter after spending handsomely on starters the last two offseasons. But if Skubal is really going to be traded, the Dodgers should be interested.
