What Dodgers could offer Tigers in potential Tarik Skubal trade
· Yahoo Sports
The Los Angeles Dodgers remain a strong contender to make another World Series run this season.
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The Dodgers have won nine World Series, including back-to-back titles in 2024 and 2025 with manager Dave Roberts and superstar Shohei Ohtani leading the way.
This MLB All-Star Weekend served as a break for teams, like the Dodgers, to reevaluate their rosters and communicate as needed with other teams to start piecing together trade possibilities.
The MLB trade deadline is set for Aug. 3, at 6 p.m. ET.
While the Dodgers have very few weaknesses, there’s always a need to bolster their pitching staff for the final months of the season.
Tarik Skubal is one of the best pitchers in the league and could be made available by the Detroit Tigers.
Skubal earned at least 13 wins in each of the prior two seasons, having started 31 games in both. He was named an All-Star during those seasons and won the American League Cy Young Award both years.
Despite missing over a month following surgery to remove a loose body from his left elbow, Skubal has produced a 5-5 record in 13 starts this season with a 3.09 ERA in 75⅔ innings. He has struck out 89 and walked 11.
The Tigers had a slow start to the season but have produced a 23-14 record since the start of June, which has allowed them to get back into the American League wild-card race and within reach of the AL Central lead.
If the organization feels comfortable with their direction, the pitcher could still finish out the season in Detroit. But if the Tigers want to move him?...
What could Dodgers offer for Tarik Skubal?
The Dodgers would have plenty to offer if they were, in fact, interested in making a trade with the Tigers.
“The Dodgers have the sort of farm system Detroit would love to raid, and adding Skubal to a rotation that includes Shohei Ohtani, Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Blake Snell would make them damn near unassailable,” ESPN’s Jeff Passan wrote.
The Dodgers would not only be doing themselves a favor by adding his arm to the rotation, but potentially controlling their path to a three-peat.
“The opportunity to not only add Skubal to their rotation but prevent the chance of having to face him in a crucial game is tantalizing,” Passan wrote.
Back in June, ESPN proposed a series of trade offers from different teams, including the Dodgers, which was listed as “the one that gets it done.”
In the proposed trade, the Dodgers would send right-handed pitcher Emmet Sheehan, outfielder Zyhir Hope and shortstop Aidan West to Detroit in exchange for Skubal.
Sheehan is viewed as a high-upside pitcher with an explosive fastball. Hope is one of the top prospects in the Dodgers' system. West has also shown promise in the minors.
The Tigers may try to force the Dodgers' hand and ask for more. Several other prospects who may be considered include outfielders Josue De Paula and Eduardo Quintero. Right-hander River Ryan, left-hander Jackson Ferris or right-hander Christian Zazueta could also be considered.
Detroit Tigers' needs
If the Tigers were, in fact, ready to move on from Skubal, they would likely add more depth to a farm system that was recently ranked No. 5 by MLB.com.
That ranking factored in preseason No. 2 prospect Kevin McGonigle, now a 21-year-old All-Star, and No. 10 Max Clark (OF).
The Tigers would benefit greatly by adding a highly thought-of prospect with the potential of being a starting pitcher for the organization.
When will Tarik Skubal pitch next?
Skubal will be in Southern California over the weekend and is scheduled to pitch against the Los Angeles Angels on Saturday, July 18.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: What Dodgers could offer Tigers in potential Tarik Skubal trade