8-Player Dodgers Trade Proposal Swaps Starting OF for AL Cy Young Favorite

The Los Angeles Dodgers are dealing with significant pitching injuries. General manager Brandon Gomes has publicly expressed interest in adding an “impact-type arm” at the July 30 trade deadline. A trade proposal from the Detroit Free Press’ Evan Petzold sends Tarik Skubal from the Detroit Tigers to the Dodgers in exchange for a staggering seven players.

Petzold proposed this trade that puts Skubal in a Dodgers uniform:

• Dodgers receive: left-handed pitcher Tarik Skubal
• Tigers receive: outfielder Andy Pages, third baseman Miguel Vargas, catcher/first baseman Dalton Rushing, outfielder Josue De Paula, right-handed pitcher River Ryan, shortstop Alex Freeland and outfielder Eduardo Quintero

Pages was called up this season and made his debut on April 16. He has started 79 of 83 possible games since his debut. Vragas has been up and down from Triple-A Oklahoma City. Rushing, De Paula, Ryan, Freeland and Quintero are all Top 30 prospects in the organization. Ryan made his MLB debut on July 23. The return for Skubal is rightfully substantial as he is the American League Cy Young Award favorite at -145 odds.

Skubal’s Asking Price

MLB.com’s Mark Feinsand noted the Dodgers and Baltimore Orioles as teams that would try and acquire Skubal who is “one of the frontrunners in the American League Cy Young race.” Fiensand noted that that Skubal would be a “game-changer” for many teams and it would take a “haul” to get him.

“The Dodgers don’t have the same top-100 prospect capital as the Orioles, so if the Dodgers want Skubal, they’ll have to throw a ton of players at the Tigers, overwhelming them with quantity instead of quality,” wrote Petzold. “Only two players in this deal are among MLB Pipeline’s top 100: Rushing at No. 47 and De Paula at No. 62. But the Dodgers could include MLB talent such as Pages and Vargas in the trade, along with Ryan to take Skubal’s spot in the rotation.”

The three key prospects in the trade are clearly Ryan, Rushing and De Paula. Ryan is the Dodgers’ No. 4 prospect and shined in his MLB debut. He pitched 5 1/3 innings without giving up an earned run and allowing just four hits.

Rushing, the club’s No. 1 prospect, does not have a clear path to the big leagues. The Dodgers signed Will Smith to a 10-year, $140 million extension in March. With Smith locked up long-term and Freddie Freeman occupying first base, Rushing’s path to the big leagues is blocked. De Paula is the No. 2 prospect in the organization. The 19-year-old is still in High-A and is a long way from the majors.

Skubal signed a one-year, $2.6 million contract to avoid arbitration in the offseason. He is arbitration-eligible for the next two seasons, making him more than a rental arm.

Skubal Would Give the Dodgers Rotation a Boost

Skubal is having a phenomenal season. He has an American League-best 2.34 ERA, is tied for the second-most strikeouts in the American League (146) and was named an All-Star for the first time this year.

The Dodgers injured list features many key arms, but they are set to return some players soon. Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Walker Buehler, Clayton Kershaw, Tyler Glasnow and Dustin May are all on the injured list. Not to mention, Ohtani will not pitch this season.

With Kershaw and Glasnow set to return soon, adding Skubal to the mix could instantly fix the Dodgers rotation. The Dodgers have the No. 9 team ERA this season. However, the Dodgers’ 5.41 ERA in July is the worst in MLB.

A rotation of Glasnow, Kershaw, Skubal and Yamamoto could be the best in the National League. Glasnow was named an All-Star in 2024 and has a 3.47 ERA with a National League-best 0.927 WHIP. Yamamoto had a 2.92 ERA before his injury.