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Starter Tarik Skubal #29 of the Detroit Tigers pitches during the first inning against the Cleveland Guardians at Progressive Field on July 22, 2024 in Cleveland, Ohio. (Photo by Jason Miller/Getty Images)

The Detroit Tigers will be without back-to-back AL Cy Young winner Tarik Skubal for at least the next couple of months as he is getting surgery to remove loose bodies in his elbow.

Jeff Passan of ESPN reported (on May 4):

“Detroit ace Tarik Skubal will undergo surgery to remove loose bodies in his left elbow. Such procedures typically sideline players for 2-3 months. Skubal should return before season’s end, but a tough blow for the impending free agent and two-time reigning AL Cy Young winner.”

It’s also a tough blow for Skubal’s contract status, as he’s set to enter free agent after this season ends, but more teams might be hesitant to offer him a record-breaking contract after this injury news. However, this also might open the door for the Los Angeles Dodgers to swing in and make a blockbuster trade for the dominant southpaw starter.

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Dodgers Named Top Trade Destination for Tarik Skubal

GettyThe Detroit Tigers are struggling a bit, and if they fall out of contention, an NL West powerhouse might make sense as a trade partner for Tarik Skubal.

Per FanSided.com’s Chris Landers, the Los Angeles Dodgers are the top landing spot for ace starter Tarik Skubal:

“But if the Tigers do decide to finally pull the trigger here … I mean, who else could it be but the Dodgers? What other team would be willing to take that leap, paying top dollar — because Detroit isn’t settling for anything else — for two months of a pitcher who may or may not be 100 percent? This would be as much a recruiting tool for next winter as anything for L.A., which certainly has the farm system to meet the Tigers’ asking price.”

As Landers mentions, the Dodgers might be the only team in Major League Baseball that can afford to trade for Skubal, but even if they do mid-season, after he hasn’t pitched for X months, Los Angeles might not want to extend him due to their payroll situation already being through the roof.

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Money Is Just an Object for the Dodgers

GettyStarter Tarik Skubal #29 of the Detroit Tigers pitches during the first inning against the Cleveland Guardians at Progressive Field on July 22, 2024 in Cleveland, Ohio. (Photo by Jason Miller/Getty Images)

Money has clearly been just an object for the Los Angeles Dodgers over the past five years, but trading for Tarik Skubal would put the rest of MLB in a tizzy.

As for what a good package could be to send to the Tigers in exchange for Skubal? You’d have to figure the Dodgers would have to throw in a pair of top-five prospects in their organization, and also a player like Roki Sasaki or Andy Pages to complete a deal.

With the recent Skubal injury news, of course, the speculation is going to reach an all-time high, but it will be interesting to see if any reports emerge in June and July that Detroit might actually be willing to listen to offers on their ‘once in a generation’ starter, Tarik Skubal.

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