The Dodgers may have changed the way they attacked the market this year, but the end goal looks the same: keep stacking talent until the rotation is impossible to touch.
Tarik Skubal has already become the centerpiece of that plan. The Dodgers landed the reigning back-to-back American League Cy Young Award winner in August from the Detroit Tigers, sending outfielder Zyhir Hope and right-handers River Ryan and Brady Smith in the deal. ESPN’s Alden Gonzales called him “the reigning back-to-back American League Cy Young Award winner” and noted that the 29-year-old pending free agent “will now headline what was arguably already the best rotation in the sport.”
That rotation got a taste of what Skubal brings right away in Game 1 of the NLDS. He was electric at Dodger Stadium, holding the Atlanta Braves to one run over six innings in a 5-3 win. He opened the game by allowing a leadoff single to Drake Baldwin and later gave up a Sean Murphy homer to start the sixth, but in between those moments he ran off 15 straight batters, including seven strikeouts.
Skubal is set to hit free agency this winter, and Bleacher Report’s Erik Beaston believes the Dodgers won’t let him get away. Beaston wrote that “The two-time All-Star and Cy Young winner led the Majors in ERA the last two seasons and in 2025, recorded 7.30 strikeouts per walk, best in the sport.
His 2026 was not as dynamic from a stat perspective, but it did see him join Los Angeles at the deadline and give that dynastic squad an opportunity to make a run at a third, consecutive World Series win. Prediction: Skubal ultimately re-signs with the Dodgers.”
If that happens, the rest of the league would be staring at a rotation that could be absurd for years. Skubal would be paired with Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Blake Snell and the rest of the group, giving Los Angeles a staff that few teams could realistically match.
Skubal is playing this season on a $32 million contract, and the Dodgers’ reputation for landing top free agents makes the idea of a reunion feel very much in play. This winter, as usual, they don’t seem interested in thinking small.
In Other News...
Dodgers Let NLDS Control Slip Away After Another Offensive Letdown
Blake Snells afternoon never found a rhythm, and the Dodgers could not do enough offensively to take advantage of the opening it created. Los Angeles dropped a 3-2 decision to the Braves in Game 2 of the National League Division Series, a result that evened the series at one game apiece and left the Dodgers searching for the timely hit that has been missing too often in October.
Snell issued a season-high five walks, and the game turned on a chaotic stretch that included a wild pitch from Braves reliever Kris Bubic before Atlanta grabbed the go-ahead run. Freddie Freeman also came through for the Braves with a home run, his first since Sept. 2, adding another swing that helped flip the momentum and leave the Dodgers with a split instead of control. [Read more 🡒]
Dodgers Face A Lineup Decision That Could Test Braves In Game 3
After getting bottled up by the Braves in Game 2 of the National League Division Series, the Dodgers are staring at a familiar October problem: how to jolt an offense that went quiet when it needed to answer back. Atlanta leaned on multiple pitchers to keep Los Angeles in check, and now Dave Roberts is weighing a lineup tweak for Game 3 as the series shifts into a more urgent phase for a team trying to avoid elimination.
The concern centers on center fielder Andy Pages, whose postseason struggles have become hard to ignore, and that has opened the door for Enrique Hernandez to potentially step in and give the lineup a different look. Hernandez has earned a reputation as a reliable October bat, which is part of what makes this decision so interesting for the Dodgers, who need more than just better at-bats now - they need a spark that can change the feel of the series. [Read more 🡒]
Dodgers Suddenly Face A Real Andy Pages Lineup Dilemma
Andy Pages arrived at October with the kind of profile the Dodgers hoped would translate, but through two postseason games he has not found much traction. He has gone hitless in eight plate appearances, drawing one walk and striking out four times, and the swing-and-miss issues have stood out even more because they are so far above his regular-season norms. For a Dodgers lineup built to keep pressure on opposing pitching, that kind of drop-off from a regular contributor quickly becomes hard to ignore.
Dave Roberts has already made one adjustment by limiting Pages ability to challenge calls, a small but telling sign that the club is trying to manage both the player and the moment. If the struggles continue, the Dodgers do not appear short on alternatives, which only adds to the tension around Pages spot. In October, even a young hitter with legitimate upside can find himself one rough stretch away from a lineup debate. [Read more 🡒]