For weeks, if not months, the expectation has been that at some point in 2026, the Detroit Tigers would trade their biggest star in Tarik Skubal, and with the trade deadline just a matter of hours away now, the expectation was that things were heating up.
After his last start, Skubal was given a standing ovation by Tigers fans after all he’s done for the organization across his career, with most around baseball expecting something to get done before Monday’s deadline. While nothing has been made official by the team yet, it appears as though Skubal has been dealt, and unsurprisingly, he lands with one of the National League’s top contenders.
Tarik Skubal Traded to the Los Angeles Dodgers
GettyTarik Skubal with the Detroit Tigers.
After weeks of chatter around Skubal’s next destination, it’s ultimately been the Los Angeles Dodgers to get the job done, with Jeff Passan announcing the news late on Saturday night.
After back-to-back World Series wins, most expected Skubal to end up in Los Angeles this season, giving them one of the most loaded pitching groups in Major League Baseball history as they look to lock up a three-peat heading into the potential 2027 lockout. In recent weeks, Skubal reportedly made it clear that he wanted to be a Dodger, as he prefers to join the most loaded team in baseball history rather than attack them and join a rival team, something that’s become all too common with stars at the trade deadline in recent years.
Detroit Tigers get Several Assets for Tarik Skubal
Passan would then confirm the return for Detroit, and in this case, it appears to be a very underwhelming return, as the team have acquired outfielder Zyhir Hope, 27-year-old right-hander River Ryan and Brady Smith in exchange for arguably baseball’s best pitcher, who has once again been stellar in 2026 with a 2.79 ERA across 96.2 innings of work.
When the news first broke, the expectation was that Emmett Sheehan would be a part of the deal, but as of Passan’s reporting, the team weren’t able to acquire him, and instead, settle for two solid right-handers to go along with a quality outfielder, with the overwhelming belief and immediate reaction being that the Dodgers absolutely fleeced Detroit in this deal.
As for the Dodgers, this was a home run deal, as they now boast arguably baseball’s greatest ever starting rotation, as things will shape up like this in October (in any order): Tarik Skubal, Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Shohei Ohtani, Blake Snell and Tyler Glasnow.
Ultimately, baseball has been heading towards a lockout for some time, and while this deal won’t be the move that sends baseball that way, and given that the Dodgers now have arguably the best lineup in the sport to go along with an arsenal of starters that could go 10 deep if needed, it appears as though they’re the clear favorites to go back-to-back-to-back in 2026.
Detroit Tigers Deal ace Tarik Skubal to the National League