The Dodgers have spent plenty of time in the Tarik Skubal conversation, but for now, the noise around a blockbuster deal may be louder than the reality.
According to MLB insider Jon Heyman of The New York Post, Los Angeles is reportedly “not in” on the Detroit Tigers ace as the trade deadline approaches. Heyman wrote, “Either way, Skubal needs to go.
The real question is where. The stacked Dodgers, for now at least, are believed 'not in.'
And baseball breathes a hopeful Cy of relief over that,”
That would mark a notable turn from the way the Dodgers have often been discussed when top-tier talent hits the market. Skubal, after all, is one of the best pitchers in baseball and has won two straight Cy Young awards in the American League. With Detroit not looking like the playoff team it was a year ago, speculation has swirled that the Tigers could move him rather than risk losing him in free agency this offseason.
Still, the Dodgers may not feel pressure to chase him. Their rotation has been strong even with several key starters sidelined, and the club already has a loaded group on the mound. At some point, Tyler Glasnow and Blake Snell are expected back from the injured list, giving Los Angeles even more firepower.
Snell and Glasnow would join a rotation that already includes Shohei Ohtani, Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Justin Wrobleski and others. That kind of depth gives the Dodgers a clear path to staying dangerous without paying premium deadline prices.
It also fits the way the organization has tended to operate. Rather than making huge splashes at the deadline, the Dodgers have often preferred to build out the roster during the winter. If Heyman’s report holds, that approach appears to be guiding them again.
Of course, trade talks can shift fast, and the Dodgers could always revisit the idea. But right now, the front office seems more inclined to bet on health than on a major deadline swing.
In Other News...
USC Faces A No. 55 Question Every Trojan Fan Feels
At USC, some jersey numbers carry more weight than the name on the back, and No. 55 sits near the top of that list. The number traces through a linebacker line that helped define the programs defensive identity, with Junior Seau, Willie McGinest, Chris Claiborne and Keith Rivers all wearing it while building college rsums that later carried into the NFL and into USC lore.
The reason the number still draws attention is simple: it has become part history, part expectation, and part open question for the programs next chapter. Lamar Dawson was the last Trojan to wear it, and since then the jersey has sat untouched, leaving USC with a familiar kind of decision whenever a new coach weighs whether to preserve a tradition or put a new player into one of the most scrutinized uniforms in the building. [Read more 🡒]
Lincoln Riley Is Reaching A Defining Moment At USC
Lincoln Riley arrived at USC with the mandate to jolt the program back into national relevance, and his opening act looked like it might do exactly that. The Trojans went 11-3 in his first season, Caleb Williams won the Heisman Trophy, and the early buzz around the hire suggested USC had found the coach to carry it into a new era.
But the momentum has not held, and as Riley moves into his fifth season, the conversation around his tenure has shifted from promise to pressure. USC has not made the kind of postseason breakthrough that matches the expectations attached to the job, and with patience thinning, the next step feels less like a reset than a proving ground for a coach who was brought in to deliver much more than a fast start. [Read more 🡒]
USC May Have A Bigger Running Back Question Than Fans Realize
USCs backfield looked steadier last season thanks to the contributions of King Miller and Waymond Jordan, and the Trojans have already added more help with four-star recruits Shahn Alston and Deshonne Redeaux in the 2026 class. Even so, the long view at running back is starting to look a little thinner than the present-day production suggests, especially with the program still sorting out how it wants to build the position group behind its current options.
The bigger picture points toward the next wave of recruiting, where USC has been aggressive in the 2028 class and has already extended offers to several high-profile backs, including Micah Rhodes and Dalen Powell. The Trojans are also in the mix for other talented runners as the competition heats up, with major programs circling the same prospects and USC trying to make sure its future backfield does not become a bigger question than it already is. [Read more 🡒]