MLB Trade Rumors: Proposed Huge Haul Sends Skubal To Dodgers
The Detroit Tigers are just 2.5 games back in the Wild Card chase in the weak American League, as we headed into the weekend. Will they do the prudent thing and trade pending free agent Tarik Skubal before the deadline in three weeks?
No one can say for sure at this time, but what we can say with some certainty, is that if the Tigers DO trade the two-time defending Cy Young winner, the LA Dodgers will be among the most likely landing spots.
With the money, the farm system, the desire, and the smarts, the Dodgers are quite likely to put together the most enticing package for Skubal. And according to Thomas Nestico of TJ Stats, this massive haul for Detroit might be a deal they just can't refuse.
What if the Dodgers did the expected and landed the best pitcher in the MLB for their quest to win their 3rd consecutive World Series title?
— Thomas Nestico (@TJStats) July 7, 2026
Here is my mock trade that would see Tarik Skubal make his way to Los Angeles https://t.co/DChx6zESZb pic.twitter.com/9lTfnhQu49
LA Dodgers receive:
- Tarik Skubal
Detroit Tigers receive:
- OF Zyhir Hope (Dodgers' No. 3 prospect)
- RHP Christian Zazueta (Dodgers' No. 8)
- OF Ching-Hsien Ko (Dodgers' No. 14)
- RHP Brady Smith (No. 29)
Adding Skubal to a rotation that already includes World Series MVP Yoshinobu Yamamoto, 4-time MVP Shohei Ohtani, Justin Wrobleski (10-2, 2.69 ERA), Blake Snell and Tyler Glasnow (who are both expected to return in August) seems unfair. But it's the Dodgers, so don't be surprised if they pull it off.
"While it may not feel nice to hear, the Dodgers provide the Tigers with the ideal pieces to conduct a trade," writes Nestico. "They have a plethora of exciting outfield prospects and a ton of young arms that would inject life into the Tigers' pipeline."
Hope and Zazueta are two of LA's top prospects, while Ko is having a big breakout season at A-ball, with 15 homers and a .924 OPS. Smith is a good pitching prospect as well, with 14.4 K/9 also in A-ball.
"Gauging a price for arguably the best pitcher in the world was tough, especially when you consider his lofty contract and recent surgery. I expect this proposal to be polarizing given that there is no recent precedent for a rental this impactful. The thought of Tarik Skubal heading to the Dodgers may feel sickening for some — probably most — fans, but it just makes sense. They have the assets to sway the Tigers and are willing to part with some of their best prospects to get a deal done."
There will be other teams that will take a swing at trying to land Skubal, no doubt, but if you had to put money on it (hypothetical, of course, because no one bets on baseball, right?), you'd have to go with the two-time World Series champs.
