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The Los Angeles Dodgers were predicted to add Tarik Skubal

On Friday night, the Los Angeles Dodgers will begin a series against the Milwaukee Brewers at American Family Field.

The series marks a rematch of last season’s National League Championship Series, which the Dodgers swept 4-0 en route to their second consecutive World Series appearance.

It will represent the first time the two teams face each other this season. The projected Dodgers starters for the three-game series are: Justin Wrobleski, Roki Sasaki and Yoshinobu Yamamoto.

Los Angeles Dodgers Predicted to Land Two-Time Cy Young Winner

In the Dodgers’ latest game against the San Diego Padres on Wednesday, Shohei Ohtani continued to dominate on the mound as he pitched five scoreless innings and improved his Cy Young candidacy. 

Despite this, the Dodgers have been predicted by an MLB executive to land two-time Cy Young winner Tarik Skubal, who is in the final year of his contract with the Detroit Tigers.

With the Detroit Tigers at 20-31, and in last place of their division, Jon Heyman of the New York Post reported that the chances of Skubal getting dealt are rising. As a result, FanSided’s Robert Murray asked three executives to give their thoughts on what the Tigers could get in return.

One of them predicted the Los Angeles Dodgers landing the Tigers ace as he said:
“It would have to be a [Dave] Dombrowski or [AJ] Preller to get a top prospect. Everyone else treats it like Wall Street and asset value so my guess is a couple of top 10 prospects for a couple months of him. Or [Andrew] Friedman could go out and get him. He ups a team’s chances to win the World Series by a pretty big margin. You get two starts in that five-game series. Friedman gets him, that’s my prediction.”

Tarik Skubal Trade Possibilities

A Tarik Skubal trade likely also depends on the pitcher’s health status, as he is currently on the injured list following a surgery to remove loose bodies. Skubal appears to be on track to return to the mound soon, after already throwing a bullpen session this week. 

Regarding what he brings to the mound, and his upcoming free agency, Robert Murray wrote:

“When healthy, Skubal is arguably the best pitcher in baseball. The 29-year-old has won back-to-back Cy Young Awards and has had ERAs below 2.80 in each of the last four seasons. He was once again dominant before the injury, with a 2.70 ERA (2.11 FIP) in seven starts, and was strengthening his position to secure the richest free-agent contract for a starting pitcher in baseball history in the offseason.

If healthy, Skubal should beat New York Yankees ace Gerrit Cole’s nine-year, $324 million contract this winter.”

The Los Angeles Dodgers have not shied away from adding All-Star caliber players who were set to hit free agency. During the 2024 trade deadline, they acquired right-handed pitcher Jack Flaherty from the Detroit Tigers, who then started 15 total games for the Dodgers, before returning to the Tigers in free agency on a two-year, $35 million contract.

Max Scherzer is another recent example, as the Dodgers acquired him to boost their rotation in 2021 despite the veteran being set to hit free agency. Scherzer started 14 games for the Dodgers before signing a three-year, $110 million contract with the New York Mets in free agency.