LOS ANGELES — They didn’t need him. But they wanted him. So they got him.
The Dodgers reached agreement on a trade with the Detroit Tigers on Saturday night that will add two-time Cy Young Award winner Tarik Skubal to their starting rotation.
The deal had not been confirmed by either team as of late Saturday, but multiple reports have the Dodgers sending the Tigers a package of three prospects – Triple-A right-hander River Ryan, Double-A outfielder Zyhir Hope and Class-A right-hander Brady Smith.
There were initial reports that right-hander Emmet Sheehan was part of the deal, but Sheehan was at his locker in the Dodgers’ clubhouse following Saturday’s game against the Boston Red Sox and Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said Sheehan was still expected to start for the Dodgers on Sunday.
If it is Ryan, Hope and Smith, the Tigers are receiving three well-regarded prospects with Ryan major-league ready – though he is currently on the injured list in Triple-A for the second time with a hamstring injury.
But the Dodgers acquire Skubal without disturbing their big-league roster or giving up their top position player prospect (Double-A outfielder Josue De Paula) or the pitching prospect unseating Ryan at the top of some rankings of the Dodgers’ system (Double-A right-hander Christian Zazueta).
“Wild. Absolutely wild. I can’t believe that,” Dodgers veteran Alex Vesia said, digesting the news in the post-game locker room – after his mother broke it.
“My mom texted me. She was like, ‘I think you’ve got a new teammate.’ My mom knows before I do.”
In Skubal, the Dodgers add the top left-hander in the game to an already strong rotation led by Yoshinobu Yamamoto. He also gives them insurance if Blake Snell, Tyler Glasnow or Shohei Ohtani is unavailable to pitch in October.
“I was hearing some rumors about that,” Yamamoto said through his interpreter. “But then it actually happened and I’m pretty surprised.”
The 29-year-old Skubal has won back-to-back American League Cy Young Awards, going 18-4 with a 2.39 ERA in 2024 and 13-6 with a 2.21 ERA in 2025. He has also proven to be an excellent postseason performer with the Tigers the past two falls. In six postseason starts, he has a 2.04 ERA and 0.73 WHIP while striking out 12.7 batters per nine innings.
This season, he is 7-5 with a 2.79 ERA in 16 starts. He was out of action for less than six weeks after undergoing surgery at the end of April to remove loose bodies from his elbow. Using a new procedure – the less-invasive ‘NanoNeedle’ (or SkubalScope) – Skubal was able to return more quickly. He went 4-3 with a 2.87 ERA in nine starts after returning for a Tigers team that was unable to pull itself back into contention and justify keeping Skubal.
Skubal made his final start for the Tigers on Wednesday (and recorded his 1,000th career strikeout) so he should join the Dodgers for their series at Wrigley Field next week and could pitch Tuesday or Wednesday.
The Dodgers will likely take on the remainder of Skubal’s salary this season (about $9 million). He is eligible for free agency this winter. The potential lockout could complicate matters but Skubal’s agent, Scott Boras, is certain to seek the largest contract ever given to a pitcher with $400 million the target.
Skubal becomes the sixth reigning Cy Young winner to be traded in midseason, joining Justin Verlander in 2023 (New York Mets to Houston Astros), Cliff Lee in 2009 (Cleveland Guardians to Philadelphia Phillies), CC Sabathia in 2008 (Guardians to Milwaukee Brewers), David Cone in 1995 (Toronto Blue Jays to New York Yankees) and Frank Viola in 1989 (Minnesota Twins to Mets).
Two of the three prospects traded by the Dodgers for Skubal were acquired from other teams. Hope came from the Chicago Cubs (along with left-hander Jackson Ferris) in a January 2024 trade for Michael Busch and Yency Almonte. Ryan was acquired from the San Diego Padres in March 2022 (before he had ever played a game in the Padres’ system) for outfielder Matt Beaty. Smith was a third-round pick of the Dodgers in the 2023 draft.
Hope was pulled from the Double-A Tulsa lineup on Saturday night, a sign that things were moving on the trade front. In 94 games for Tulsa, he was hitting .293 with an .899 OPS and 23 home runs.
Smith has split this season between High-A Grand Rapids and Low-A Ontario, going 0-7 with a 4.36 ERA in 21 combined starts but with 113 strikeouts in 74⅓ innings.