Scott Harris made the kind of move that’s going to be picked apart for a long time: he sent Tarik Skubal to the Dodgers and took back a package that left a lot of people squinting.
Detroit’s return was River Ryan, Zyhir Hope and Brady Smith. That’s the full haul for one of the best pitchers in the game, even if Skubal is only a rental and will be a free agent after the season.
The Dodgers, after all, are trying to three-peat, and the Tigers had a chance to squeeze Los Angeles for more. Instead, the deal landed with the kind of light return that makes fans wonder what was left on the table.
Ryan is the most unusual piece in the group. He’s 27, turning 28 in two weeks, yet he’s still being treated as a top-100 prospect.
He debuted for the Dodgers in 2024 and was excellent in four starts, posting a 1.33 ERA. Then came Tommy John surgery, which wiped out his 2025 season.
He returned this year at Triple-A and put up a 4.46 ERA in eight starts. The stuff is real - a fastball that can hit 100 and secondary pitches that play - but this is still a big bet on a pitcher who’s already 27.
The argument goes that Detroit might have pushed harder and landed someone like Emmet Sheehan, who is 26 and has more big league experience.
Hope looks like the best player in the deal, and maybe the one Detroit is most excited about. He was the Dodgers’ No. 5 overall prospect and he’s only 21.
At Double-A this season, he hit .293/.369/.530 with 23 home runs, 87 runs batted in and 18 stolen bases. There aren’t many obvious holes in his profile, which is why he comes across as a legitimate long-term piece.
An outfield with Hope and Max Clark is the kind of thing that at least gives the Tigers something to dream on.
Smith is the third piece, and he’s the one that feels the most difficult to sell as a major part of a Tarik Skubal return. He ranked No. 17 in the Dodgers’ system, is 21 years old, and owns a 4.36 ERA in 21 starts this season between Single-A, where he made 19 starts, and High-A, where he made two. Maybe he develops into something useful, but Detroit could have aimed higher, perhaps at someone like lefty Jackson Ferris, who is closer to the big leagues.
That’s why the reaction has been so sharp. On paper, this doesn’t read like the kind of package you expect for Skubal.
It has echoes of the Justin Verlander return, and the Tigers already know how a trade like that can come back around on you. Harris may end up looking smart if these players turn into real contributors.
But until that happens, this is going to be viewed as a deal that was made early, with Los Angeles, and at a price plenty of people think was too low.
In Other News...
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For Tigers fans, the twist is less about the transaction chain than about where Rogers lands next. Rutschman is currently on the injured list, which puts Rogers in position to handle a significant role for the Red Sox in the near term, giving Boston an immediate need and Detroit followers another reason to keep an eye on a player they watched for years. [Read more 🡒]
Tigers Just Made The Kind Of Move That Changes Everything Fast
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Mizes departure carries extra weight because he arrived in Detroit as a former No. 1 overall draft pick and had recently reached All-Star status, helping stabilize the rotation after a strong 2025 season. The Tigers had already been active in other deals involving players and prospects, so this trade fits the larger picture of a club willing to move established pieces now in hopes of widening its long-term options, even if the immediate rotation picture looks different afterward. [Read more 🡒]
Casey Mize Just Became A Tougher Tigers Deadline Call
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Casey Mize has already emerged as one of the more intriguing names for Detroit to weigh, with interest said to be building from multiple directions. The question now is not just what Mize might bring back, but how much tighter the market becomes if clubs keep chasing the same limited pool of available pitching. For a Tigers front office that has to balance present value against future upside, that is the kind of deadline wrinkle that can make a straightforward call a lot harder. [Read more 🡒]