Tarik Skubal is headed to the Dodgers, and the biggest name in the deal is a familiar one for Cubs fans.
Los Angeles completed its blockbuster trade with the Tigers on Saturday night, and former Cubs prospect Zyhir Hope was the centerpiece of the package going back to Detroit. The Tigers also get pitching prospects River Ryan and Brady Smith.
Hope and Jackson Ferris were shipped from the Cubs to the Dodgers before the 2024 season in the deal that brought first baseman Michael Busch and reliever Yency Almonte to Chicago. It still looks like the kind of move the Cubs would make again without much hesitation.
Busch has cooled in the power department this year, but he still owns a 112 wRC+ and remains under control through the 2029 season. He’s one year removed from 34 home runs, and if the power comes back, that trade only looks better for the Cubs.
For the Tigers, the return is harder to frame as a clear win on paper. Hope is a premium prospect, but the Dodgers were in a spot where they could put him into a deal and still keep their system looking strong. At Double-A this season, the 21-year-old has posted a .899 OPS with 23 home runs.
Ryan is the more complicated piece. He checks in at No. 68 on MLB Pipeline’s Top 100, but he’ll turn 28 in August and has injury concerns attached to his name.
His Triple-A numbers this year show a 4.46 ERA, though his 2.88 FIP points to better underlying performance. The talent is obvious, but he has topped 100 innings in a season only once since the Dodgers drafted him in 2021.
Smith fits the usual mold of the final throw-in in a deal like this: a lower-level lottery ticket.
There’s a case for both sides of the trade. It looks light, but if Hope develops into a star, that may be all the Tigers need.
And while the Cubs could have beaten this offer, they would have needed to part with players from the major league roster and someone like Josiah Hartshorn to do it. Chicago wasn’t willing to make that kind of sacrifice for Skubal.
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