The Atlanta Braves have a need for starting pitching ahead of the MLB trade deadline.
Tarik Skubal was considered one of their top trade targets.
According to ESPN’s Jeff Passan, Tarik Skubal is headed to the Los Angeles Dodgers, which is not only bad news for the Braves, but also for the rest of Major League Baseball. This massive trade across the sport will seriously put next season in jeopardy.
The fire sale begins for the Detroit Tigers. Perhaps the Braves will get a piece of the pie with a Casey Mize trade, but this news is shocking and will have a large number of ripple effects.
“BREAKING: The Los Angeles Dodgers are finalizing a trade for Detroit Tigers ace Tarik Skubal, sources tell ESPN.”
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Tarik Skubal Is a Los Angeles Dodgers Pitcher… What it Means for the Braves
GettyDETROIT, MI – JULY 29: Tarik Skubal #29 of the Detroit Tigers acknowledges the fans after recording his 1,000th strikeout during the first inning of a game against the Baltimore Orioles at Comerica Park on July 29, 2026 in Detroit, Michigan. (Photo by Duane Burleson/Getty Images)
Here is the full trade package, per Jeff Passan:
“The Los Angeles Dodgers are acquiring Tarik Skubal for outfielder Zyhir Hope, right-hander River Ryan and right-hander Brady Smith, sources tell ESPN.”
The writing was on the wall that Tarik Skubal was going to be dealt, but now that he’s officially on the Los Angeles Dodgers, it’s scary hours for the rest of the National League.
As for the Atlanta Braves’ part of this, while they traded for Lane Thomas earlier today, they absolutely must do more over the next two days if they want any chance of competing with the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Chris Sale is a great ace, but this massive MLB trade will make it very hard for any team across the league to top the 2X World Series champions.
The Braves are perhaps the top ‘threat’ to the Dodgers right now, but a rotation consisting of Chris Sale, Grant Holmes, Bryce Elder, and Martin Perez just can’t compete with Tarik Skubal, Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Blake Snell, Shohei Ohtani, and Tyler Glasnow.
Where Do the Braves Go From Here?
Look, however aggressive the Braves planned to be before this trade, they need to increase the urgency by about a million.
Any players that Atlanta has been linked to, they need to go ahead and do everything in their power to get any possible trades done.
Some of the players that the Braves have been linked to via trades are Casey Mize, Jose Soriano, Kevin Gausman, Robbie Ray, and Emerson Hancock.
It’s painful to admit, but the Braves are probably the biggest losers in this Tarik Skubal trade, because not only was Atlanta linked to Skubal, but they allowed him to be traded to their biggest threat in the NL.
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