The Dodgers are back in the center of the baseball conversation with the Aug. 3 trade deadline closing in, and Tarik Skubal is the name drawing the most heat.
Around the league, teams are watching Los Angeles to see how aggressive it gets, especially with the Detroit Tigers ace widely viewed as the biggest player who could move in the next few days. The Dodgers don’t exactly need help on paper - their rotation already runs deep - but injuries to multiple starting pitchers have changed the conversation and pushed Skubal higher on the radar.
What makes this even more intriguing is that a deal now could be about more than just October. Skubal is set to become a free agent after the 2026 season, and MLB insider Bob Nightengale of USA Today reported that the Dodgers are already in a strong position with him.
"Or the Dodgers could grab Skubal, knowing that they are considered his first preference, anyway, when he becomes a free agent," Nightengale wrote. "That would not only give them a lethal October rotation, but keep him away from the competition."
Skubal, who is from California and the Bay Area specifically, would be heading toward a kind of homecoming if he landed in Los Angeles. He’d also get a shot at a World Series run this year, while the Dodgers would have the chance to sell him on what the future could look like if he stayed beyond 2026.
That future could get expensive. Skubal is expected to land a deal worth more than $300 million in free agency, and the Dodgers are one of the few teams with the financial muscle to chase that kind of number. If they move now, they could also get a head start on making their pitch before the winter market even opens.
There’s baseball value in the short term, too. Skubal would give Los Angeles another frontline arm while Tyler Glasnow, Blake Snell and Shohei Ohtani work through injuries that have left the rotation vulnerable. His addition would act as a major safety net, and it could even create flexibility for the playoffs by allowing someone like Glasnow to shift to the bullpen.
Skubal has already shown plenty this season. After surgery to remove loose bodies in his elbow, he came back quickly and has posted a 2.79 ERA in 16 starts, with 116 strikeouts over 96.2 innings.
For the Dodgers, the appeal is obvious: a two-time American League Cy Young Award winner, a rotation boost for now, and maybe a long-term answer later. The question is whether Los Angeles will actually break with its recent habit of avoiding heavy trade-deadline spending to make it happen. Nightengale’s reporting suggests Skubal’s future might already have a Los Angeles lean - whether as a trade target now or as a free-agent prize later.
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A deal, though, would not be as simple as adding another bat and glove. Neto is productive, under control through 2030, and the Angels would have every reason to drive a steep price, which is why a serious pursuit could force the Dodgers to rethink more than one position on the roster. Betts could end up back at second base or right field, and any move that big would likely ripple into the outfield picture as well. [Read more 🡒]
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For Tampa Bay, the appeal was adding another outfield option even with several already in place, banking on the idea that Suwinskis Triple-A track record can still translate more consistently at the major league level. For the Dodgers, it was a chance to turn a quiet depth piece into help at a position where coverage matters, and the real question now is how much value they can squeeze out of the return before the next roster squeeze arrives. [Read more 🡒]