The Los Angeles Dodgers entered the All-Star break in prime position to win the National League West once again, but they have some issues on their roster they must address.
The bottom of their lineup has been a black hole of offensive production, and their bench has somehow performed even worse, making a bat addition necessary for the club before the MLB Trade Deadline on July 30.
But over the past month, their starting pitching has also taken a major hit due to a multitude of injuries and performance issues. That has put starting pitching at the top of the Dodgers’ wish list, and they are going to be big game hunting.
Garret Crochet has been the most obvious trade candidate thus far, but another ace may be on their sights. According to Tom Verducci of Sports Illustrated, the Dodgers are one of the teams that are interested in a blockbuster deal with the Detroit Tigers for Tarik Skubal:
Sources from the Dodgers and Orioles confirmed they are interested in putting together packages loaded with top prospects for Skubal.
Skubal has been arguably the best pitcher in MLB this season, and he would give the Dodgers another ace at the top of their rotation.
However, the cost for the 27-year-old would be astronomical, and it’s unclear if the Tigers would even be willing to move him:
There is no indication yet whether Tigers president of baseball operations Scott Harris will move Skubal, though both Los Angeles and Baltimore have the rich prospect capital to make such a trade discussion interesting.
Skubal is not eligible to become a free agent until the conclusion of the 2026 season, giving any club two and a half seasons of team control over him.
The southpaw had a breakout season in a limited number of appearances during the 2023 season, and has continued to build on that success this year.
Skubal owns a 2.41 ERA and 2.57 FIP in 116 innings while striking out just shy of 11 hitters per nine innings and walking less than two per nine.
Over his past two seasons, Skubal has thrown 196.1 innings with a 2.57 ERA, 2.33 FIP, 11.09 strikeouts per nine, 1.60 walks per nine and 6.8 WAR.
What would a Tarik Skubal trade cost
As perhaps the best starter in baseball, along with multiple years of control, the cost for Skubal would not be cheap, and he may be one of the most costly players to ever be traded outside of Juan Soto when he went to the San Diego Padres.
For the Dodgers, they would likely need to part ways with multiple highly regarded assets, including players such as Bobby Miller, Gavin Stone, Dalton Rushing, Josue De Paula, River Ryan, Emmet Sheehan, Dustin May and others along those lines.
This is not a deal that would get done with a few prospects and Gavin Lux or James Outman, although either could certainly be added in to sweeten the deal for the Tigers. If you’re comfortable making the trade and wouldn’t hesitate to do it, then it’s not enough for the Tigers.
One other concern for the Dodgers is it would be tough for them to compete with the Orioles in any trade discussions.
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