With reports that the Detroit Tigers and ace pitcher Tarik Skubal are miles apart on a potential extension, arguably the best pitcher in baseball could soon be available via trade.
While the starting rotation is the least worrisome aspect of the roster, the Los Angeles Dodgers are lurking -- and the prospect of trading for Skubal seems utterly mind-boggling considering the preexisting talent currently on the roster.
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Jim Bowden of The Athletic came up with a host of hypothetical Skubal trades. One of the trade packages involves the Dodgers, where in exchange for the two-time Cy Young Award winner, the Tigers would get Emmet Sheehan, Jackson Ferris, Justin Wrobleski, and Zyhir Hope.
"The Dodgers already have four aces in their rotation and an exciting development project in Roki Sasaki. However, teams can never have enough starting pitching, so the Dodgers have no reason not to add another ace to the top of the rotation, especially when they can offer a competitive package and have the resources to keep him long-term, as well," Bowden wrote.
Bowden also theorizes that playoff hero Tyler Glasnow could be involved going to the Motor City if the Dodgers wanted to hold onto the younger, cheaper option in Sheehan.
"Another idea would be to substitute Tyler Glasnow for Sheehan in the deal. This would give the Tigers a top-of-the-rotation starter to replace Skubal and they would control Glasnow for three more years. Glasnow does not have a no-trade clause with the Dodgers and has $94 million remaining on his contract if the team-half of the 2028 mutual option is exercised."
Skubal has one year left on his deal. For the Dodgers to give up this caliber of package, which would include two of their best young pitchers, the team's best pitching prospect (Ferris), and a top-30 prospect in baseball (Hope), there may have to be some assurances that Skubal would proceed with a "wink wink" deal that he'd verbally agree to extend in the offseason.
Pairing Skubal with Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Shohei Ohtani, Blake Snell, and Glasnow would easily be the most talented rotation ever assembled. The Dodgers would enter 2026 as the big favorites to win a third-straight World Series, and even if Skubal is a one-year rental, maximizing the primes of Ohtani, Mookie Betts, and Freddie Freeman may be the ultimate driving force here.
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