The Los Angeles Dodgers have completed a blockbuster acquisition of two-time AL Cy Young Award winner Tarik Skubal from the Detroit Tigers, with the deal finalised on Sunday ahead of the August 3 trade deadline. Skubal is scheduled to take the mound for the first time as a Dodger this Tuesday, in the middle game of a road series against the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field.
The trade sends three prospects to Detroit: outfielder Zyhir Hope, who ranks 25th on MLB Pipeline’s Top 100, right-hander River Ryan at number 68 on the same list, and Brady Smith, previously the Dodgers’ 17th-ranked internal prospect. The price was steep. Skubal enters his new club with a 2.79 ERA across 16 starts this season, having posted 116 strikeouts against just 14 walks in 96.2 innings.
What the Dodgers Are Getting
Skubal, 29, has been one of the most dominant pitchers in baseball over the past two seasons. He is also the first reigning Cy Young Award winner to be dealt mid-season since Justin Verlander was traded from the New York Mets to the Houston Astros in 2023. His last outing for Detroit came on Wednesday last week, when he threw 92 pitches across 6.2 innings against the Baltimore Orioles — putting him on five days’ rest for Tuesday’s start.
Tuesday will mark his first career start at Wrigley Field. Against the Cubs specifically, his career numbers at Comerica Park show a 1-1 record, 4.12 ERA, and 18 strikeouts in three appearances.
Skubal Slots Into a Deep Rotation
Dodgers president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman confirmed the pitching plan for the Cubs series: Justin Wrobleski starts Monday, Skubal on Tuesday, and Roki Sasaki on Wednesday. Friedman told reporters that Skubal would slot straight into the rotation. Eric Lauer — who posted a 2.96 ERA in nine appearances after arriving from Toronto — transitions toward a bullpen role to accommodate the new arrival.
The rotation runs deep. The Dodgers still have Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Emmet Sheehan beyond those names, Blake Snell is expected back after one more rehab outing with Triple-A Oklahoma City, and Tyler Glasnow is beginning a rehab assignment this week.
Skubal’s Reaction to Leaving Detroit
Speaking to reporters after the Tigers’ final game before the trade was announced, Skubal expressed both emotion about leaving Detroit and genuine enthusiasm for his new challenge. He said he is excited to join the Dodgers, meet his new teammates, and chase what would be a third consecutive World Series title for the franchise — something he described as a hard thing to achieve and a huge motivation.
Friedman, meanwhile, explained that the Dodgers are always willing to engage when elite players become available, pointing to the strength of the farm system as what gives the club the leverage to make deals of this magnitude.
Fifty games remain. The Dodgers enter that stretch as the defending back-to-back champions, and Skubal’s arrival gives them a rotation that very few clubs can match.
