The Los Angeles Dodgers struck a blockbuster deal to acquire two-time reigning American League Cy Young Award winner Tarik Skubal from the Detroit Tigers in exchange for three prospects.
Skubal is now part of a star-studded starting rotation that normally would include two-time defending National League MVP Shohei Ohtani, who was in the midst of his best season on the mound prior to being shut down as a pitcher due to persistent left knee discomfort and a right biceps injury.
Skubal and Ohtani joining forces is a daunting thought for any team that crosses paths with the Dodgers in October. According to OptaSTATS, it is the first time that players who won the Cy Young Award and MVP in the previous two seasons will play together on the same team.
For the first time in MLB history, a player who won MVP each of the previous 2 seasons (Shohei Ohtani) and a player who won the Cy Young each of the previous 2 seasons (Tarik Skubal) will play together on the same team. pic.twitter.com/IfYGkJDKS2
— OptaSTATS (@OptaSTATS) August 2, 2026
Skubal has established himself as arguably the best starting pitcher in baseball after a historic two-year run with the Tigers. From 2024-25, he posted a 31-10 record with a 2.30 ERA, 0.91 WHIP and 10.9 strikeouts per nine in 387.1 innings pitched (62 starts) en route to winning back-to-back AL Cy Young Awards.
Ohtani, meanwhile, has won three consecutive MVP Awards dating back to his final season with the Los Angeles Angels in 2023. Prior to being removed from the Dodgers rotation, the two-way star was perhaps the favorite to win NL MVP honors this year as well. Earlier in the year he was in the running for NL Cy Young as well, which is the one award that has eluded Ohtani thus far.
If Ohtani is able to return to pitching this season, he and Skubal will co-headline a postseason rotation that should feature 2025 World Series MVP Yoshinobu Yamamoto and one of Blake Snell or Tyler Glasnow.
Tarik Skubal ‘very excited’ to join Dodgers
In his first comments since being traded by the Tigers, Skubal said he is looking forward to joining the Dodgers.
“At this time I’m excited to be a Dodger,” the left-hander said on Detroit SportsNet. “I’m excited to get down there and meet all those guys, chase three championships in a row,” Skubal said. “It’s hard to do, so I’m excited to be a part of that. But it’s a lot of different emotions. Definitely kind of a rollercoaster a little bit.”
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