Tarik Skubal is being traded to the Los Angeles Dodgers from the Detroit Tigers, per multiple reports. Going back to the Tigers in the deal are minor league outfielder Zyhir Hope and minor league righthanded pitchers River Ryan and Brady Smith.
Skubal is the two-time defending American League Cy Young Award winner, having led the American League in ERA in both 2024 and 2025. Skubal received a record $32 million salary in arbitration this past season, and is scheduled to be a free agent after the season.
So far in 2026, he has a 2.79 ERA in 16 starts covering 96.2 innings, despite spending time on the injured list due to surgery to remove loose bodies from his elbow.
The Dodgers currently have Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Justin Wrobleski at the top of their rotation, and the addition of Skubal gives them a potent top three to head into the playoffs with. They also have Shohei Ohtani, though he is sidelined from pitching currently, and it is up in the air as to whether or not he will be able to pitch again in 2026.
The return for the Tigers is quite impressive for a player who is heading for free agency. Hope, 21, was an 11th round pick of the Chicago Cubs in 2023, and was sent to the Dodgers in the Michael Busch trade. A corner outfielder, Hope is #55 on the Baseball America top 100 prospect list and #25 on the MLB Pipeline top 100 list. He is slashing .293/.369/.530 for AA Tulsa this season.
Ryan, who turns 28 later this month, was also an 11th round pick, though by the San Diego Padres in 2021. The Dodgers acquired him for Matt Beaty, and he made it to the majors in 2024, putting up a 1.33 ERA in four starts for the Dodgers. He missed all of 2025 due to Tommy John surgery, and has made just eight appearances, all at AAA, having been on the injured list since mid-June due to a hamstring issue. Both MLB Pipeline and BA have him as a top 10 prospect in a deep Dodgers system, with Pipeline having him at #68 on their top 100 list.
Smith was the Dodgers’ 3rd round pick in 2023. The 21 year old didn’t pitch professionally until 2025, due to Tommy John surgery. He has 19 starts in low-A this year and two in high-A.
