The Los Angeles Dodgers aren’t being particularly aggressive this offseason, but they still seem to always and at least one superstar. They already landed All-Star closer Edwin Diaz, but they might not be done there.
The Dodgers have been linked to Detroit Tigers pitcher Tarik Skubal and Chicago Cubs free agent outfielder Kyle Tucker. Skubal has won back-to-back Cy Young Awards, but it still under contract. It would take a trade to get him.
Tucker is a free agent, but he’s in line for a massive payday. Considering how high the Dodgers’ payroll already is, it would seem impossible that they could add both and pay both of them. However, according to ESPN’s Alden Gonzalez, there’s a belief around MLB that Los Angeles could figure out a way to land both Tucker and Skubal.
“In other words, they can very easily just go the straightforward route. Or, as they aggressively pursue a three-peat, they can pounce on Tucker with another short-term, high-AAV deal, or use their vast starting-pitching depth — including, perhaps, Glasnow, whose name has been thrown around — to get Skubal. They might even do both.
“In the words of one rival executive: ‘You can never rule anything out with them.'”
How Would Dodgers Pull This Off?
If the Dodgers are going to add Skubal and Tucker, it’s going to take some creativity. The Tigers are going to want a haul for their star pitcher. It might take them trading Tyler Glasnow and prospects.
The Dodgers don’t need to trade for Tucker, but they may have to dump Teoscar Hernandez to make the money work. It’s certainly not impossible given the team’s resources. Now, they likely don’t need to keep making these huge moves. They already have an incredible roster. That said, adding Tucker and Skubal to the team makes a third-straight World Series title much more feasible.
Andrew Friedman Feels Support From Ownership
President of baseball operations Andrew Friedman was already considered a great executive before going to the Dodgers, but now that he has seemingly infinite money to play with, he’s unstoppable.
When the Dodgers truly want a player, they typically are able to get them. Right now, Friedman is feeling great about the team and knows that ownership is going to give him whatever he needs to win.
“We are in a really strong position right now, financially, and our ownership group has been incredibly supportive of pouring that back into our team and that partnership with our fans,” Friedman said.
“As we look at things, if we were on a really tight budget, we probably wouldn’t allocate in the same way. But having more resources, it allows us to be a little bit more aggressive on that point. In a world where there are major constraints, that wouldn’t be an area where I personally would allocate versus other areas. But we’re in a really fortunate position right now, and we have a really talented team going into 2026. We’re going to do everything we can to put ourselves in the best position to win a World Series.”
MLB Exec Won’t Rule out Dodgers Adding 2 More Big-Time All-Stars