The Los Angeles Dodgers have had ties with Detroit Tigers ace Tarik Skubal since his contract disagreements in the offseason, but could they really land him?
Many experts, such as Sports Illustrated’s Tom Verducci and The Athletic’s Fabian Ardaya, think not.
Despite Skubal’s deteriorating relationship with his current team’s front office—who were well short of his asking price in both contract negotiation and arbitration—the Tigers are nearly certain to hold onto the left-hander due to their status as a contending team in a notably weak division.
“The Tigers entered Tuesday with a 71.2 percent chance of making the postseason and 52.2 percent chance of winning the AL Central, according to FanGraphs’ playoff odds,” Ardaya wrote. “Those odds have the Tigers with a better chance of winning the World Series (5.9 percent) than the following clubs, among others: the Toronto Blue Jays, Philadelphia Phillies, New York Mets and Chicago Cubs.
“It would be a stunning slap in the fans’ face to see the Tigers entertain moving Skubal in the middle of a season in which they appear to be in contention, even if they believe Skubal would walk in free agency.”
Verducci had similar reasoning, citing the Tigers’ success in the division as a reason to hold onto Skubal despite his expiring contract.
“I never really bought into that possibility,” Verducci said regarding the idea of trading the two-time Cy Young winner. “…I think Tarik Skubal likely is not going to re-sign to the Tigers. If he does, it’s going to be beyond anywhere the Tigers have gone, even with Miguel Cabrera. They’re a team that can win the American League pennant, and that’s with Tarik Skubal.
“…It’s hard for me to envision any kind of world where in the American League Central, the Tigers are out of playoff contention at the trade deadline. So I just don’t see it happening.”
While the chances are next to zero the Tigers fall apart and ship Skubal out at the trade deadline, the Dodgers certainly have the ability to turn their heads with an offer.
Dalton Rushing is the most interesting case, as he’s walled off from a starting spot by three of the best players in MLB and would is a real trade candidate with his early-season explosion on offense. On top of Rushing, the Dodgers have one of the best farm systems in MLB and could realistically send one of their several Top 100 prospects to the Tigers to sweeten the deal.
The Tigers would certainly command at least one MLB-ready pitcher as well, and the Dodgers have plenty of young arms who could make a difference in Detroit.
That’s all completely hypothetical, though, as the Tigers—as previously mentioned—won’t blow up their rotation unless extraneous circumstances befall them in the second half.
Do you think the Dodgers need Skubal this year, or is their rotation fine for the season?