Dodgers acquire two-time Cy Young winner Tarik Skubal from Tigers, boosting three-peat bid

The trade

The Los Angeles Dodgers acquired left-handed ace Tarik Skubal from the Detroit Tigers on Saturday night, sending three prospects to Detroit. Skubal, 29, is the reigning two-time American League Cy Young Award winner and was the most coveted player available ahead of Monday's trade deadline. The Dodgers, already two-time defending World Series champions, are attempting to become the first National League team to win three consecutive titles since the New York Yankees from 1998 to 2000.

Skubal's reaction

Skubal fought back tears while discussing the deal, saying he had hoped to bring a championship to Detroit. He referenced the Tigers' Game 5 loss in the 2024 AL Division Series as fuel for his motivation.

Ever since that '24 Game 5 failure, I've used that as fuel to bring a World Series to the city of Detroit.

He added that the trade was unexpected. "Going into this season, this isn't what I planned on doing. But circumstances change, situations change." Skubal, a ninth-round pick in 2018 out of Seattle University, became the fastest Tiger to reach 1,000 career strikeouts (153 games) in his final start for Detroit on Wednesday. He leaves with a 61-42 record and 3.04 ERA over seven seasons.

Rotation impact

Skubal joins a Dodgers rotation that already leads the majors in ERA and WHIP. He is 7-5 with a 2.79 ERA and 116 strikeouts in 96 2/3 innings this season, having returned in June from surgery to remove loose bodies in his left elbow. Manager Dave Roberts said Skubal will make his Dodgers debut Tuesday against the Chicago Cubs. The addition eases pressure on Shohei Ohtani, who has not pitched since July 3 because of left knee soreness and a right biceps injury. President of baseball operations Andrew Friedman expressed confidence Ohtani will 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.

Reliever Edwin Díaz called Skubal "one of the best pitchers in the league" and said the team got better. The rotation now includes Skubal, Ohtani, Blake Snell (on a rehab assignment), Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Tyler Glasnow.

Roberts acknowledged the outside noise surrounding the Dodgers' aggressive moves. "It just seems like there's always blowback with us," he said. "People are passionate. We feel good about it. There's nothing that we did that no one else couldn't have done."

Prospects to Detroit

The Tigers received right-handers River Ryan and Brady Smith, and outfielder Zyhir Hope. Hope, 21, ranked No. 25 on MLB Pipeline's top 100 prospects list, is hitting.293 with 23 home runs, 87 RBIs and 18 stolen bases at Double-A Tulsa. Ryan, 27, the Dodgers' No. 7 prospect, is recovering from a hamstring strain and had Tommy John surgery in 2024; he is 3-1 with a 4.46 ERA at Triple-A Oklahoma City. Smith, 21, a third-round pick in 2023, has a combined 4.36 ERA across 21 starts at Single-A and High-A.

Odds and historical context

DraftKings moved the Dodgers' World Series odds from +175 to +150 after the trade, implying a 40% probability of a title. The Yankees are second at roughly 12%. No National League team has ever won three straight World Series, and only one team with preseason odds of +250 or longer has won it all (the 1999 Yankees). The Dodgers' pennant odds shifted from +105 to -110 at DraftKings.

Other deadline moves

In a separate deal, the Chicago White Sox acquired three-time All-Star right-hander Luis Castillo from the Seattle Mariners for reliever Seranthony Dominguez, outfielder Nolan Jones and catching prospect Boston Smith. Castillo, 33, is 3-9 with a 5.06 ERA this season but has a 2.25 ERA in six career postseason games.