LOS ANGELES (AP) — Tarik Skubal was the one player the Los Angeles Dodgers believed worthy of aggressively pursuing ahead of Monday’s trade deadline.
By landing the reigning two-time American League Cy Young winner with time to spare and without sacrificing their pursuit of a third straight World Series title, they reinforced their status as both baseball’s dominant power and public enemy No. 1.
“It just seems like there’s always blowback with us,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said Sunday. “People are passionate. We feel good about it. There’s nothing that we did that no one else couldn’t have done.”
In the near term, Skubal’s arrival gives the Dodgers another powerful arm to an already loaded rotation responsible for the lowest WHIP and batting average in the majors. He is scheduled to make his debut on Tuesday at the Chicago Cubs, having gone 7-5 with a 2.79 ERA and 116 strikeouts in 96 2/3 innings over 16 starts for the Detroit Tigers this season.
“We got better,” reliever Edwin Díaz said “We got, like I said, one of the best pitchers in the league, and now we have him as a teammate, so that’s a really good plus for us.”
Having Skubal can allow the Dodgers to be cautious with Shohei Ohtani as he recovers from left knee soreness and a right biceps injury that have kept the two-way superstar from pitching since July 3. Ohtani will resume playing catch sometime during the three-game series against the Cubs, Roberts said, and the Dodgers remain optimistic he will be able to return to the mound this season.
“You can never predict the future, but if you said, ‘Hey, place a bet on it,’ I would be very confident placing it that he will be back pitching,” president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman said.
In the medium term, Skubal’s presence further strengthens the Dodgers’ already impressive credentials as they push to become the first National League team to three-peat. If healthy, they will be able to choose from an elite group of starters, many with proven playoff success such as Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Blake Snell.
Skubal brings his own track record, having gone 2-1 with a 2.04 ERA in six playoff starts over the past two postseasons. Friedman described his efforts last fall as “must-see TV.
“I was in awe watching the energy, the dominance he exhibited there, and I can’t wait to see it in Dodger blue,” Friedman said.
Not only did the acquisition further boost their own rotation, it should allow the Dodgers to move other starters into the bullpen, something they did to great effect during the 2025 title run.
“We’re not going to be flippant about this moment in time and how special this group, this era can be in the history of this incredibly storied organization, and we’re going to do everything we can to win the last game of the year,” Friedman said.
In the long term, the Dodgers’ trade for Skubal represents one more salvo in the looming battle over baseball’s finances and competitive balance.
Los Angeles made the trade without giving up any of its most touted prospects in what is regarded among MLB’s top farm systems, which has been a frequent pattern during this run of three titles over the previous six seasons. Those assets have allowed them to consistently upgrade through trades without needing to send established major league contributors back the other way.
Roberts credited the organization’s ability to find and develop talent as being just as important to the Dodgers’ recent success as much as their deep pocketbooks have allowed them to sign the likes of Ohtani to massive contracts.
“I just laud our front office,” Roberts said. “We have to have the players to be able to pull something like this off.”
As long as the current system is in place, the Dodgers will not apologize for their interest to acquire the best players available through whatever means are accessible to them.
“But as we’ve talked about a lot, whenever there’s a star-level player that is available that can really shift championship odds, those are the moments that we’ll be more aggressive,” Friedman said.
Skubal was with the Dodgers in the dugout during a 8-4 loss to the Boston Red Sox on Sunday night. The team also posted pictures of his new Dodgers' No. 29 jersey and locker and video of Skubal meeting his new teammates on social media.
“Just knowing he's in Dodger blue, it's pretty surreal,” Roberts said after the game. “I don't think I've felt this good after getting swept, so that's a silver lining.”
AP MLB: https://apnews.com/MLB
Detroit Tigers pitcher Tarik Skubal throws against the Baltimore Orioles during the first inning of a baseball game Wednesday, July 29, 2026, in Detroit. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya)
Detroit Tigers pitcher Tarik Skubal reacts to a pitch during the seventh inning of a baseball game against the Baltimore Orioles Wednesday, July 29, 2026, in Detroit. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya)
