LOS ANGELES — The Dodgers are very confident in the roster the had in trying to win a third consecutive championship, something not seen in the sport since 2000. But it’s not often a reigning two-time Cy Young Award winner becomes available, and they were happy to pounce on getting Tarik Skubal from the Detroit Tigers.
“You can feel the energy, the excitement, and the buzz,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said of the days leading up to Monday’s trade deadline. “This was a different year in the sense
that it was Skubal or nothing. I think essentially where we have a lot of good players, a lot of good depth already.”
The Dodgers were happy with the starting pitching depth, especially with Blake Snell expected back on the next homestand after a final rehab start in Triple-A on Tuesday. He’ll join Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Skubal atop the rotation, along with Justin Wrobleski having an All-Star season. The Dodgers are confident that Tyler Glasnow (back) and Shohei Ohtani (left knee) will also be ready come October. But they decided to lessen that risk should something go wrong.
This was case of the Dodgers adding to their unprecedented pitching depth, but doing so from the top down by adding a player of Skubal’s caliber.
“We were of the mind to be aggressive for one player, and fortunately we were able to line up,” Dodgers president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman said Sunday at Dodger Stadium. “We don’t know what the world’s going to look like at the end of September. but I don’t think we went into this thinking [starting pitching] was an acute need. But as we’ve talked about a lot, whenever there’s a star-level player available who can really shift championship odds, those are the moments we’ll be more aggressive.”
Skubal won Cy Young Awards in 2024 and 2025 but since the start of 2023 the left-hander leads the majors in ERA (2.46), xERA (2.69), strikeout rate (31.4 percent), and strikeout-minus-walk rate (27 percent) among the 83 pitchers with at least 400 innings.
He has a 2.04 ERA in six postseason starts the last two years for Detroit, with 56 strikeouts and six walks in 39 2/3 innings. That included games last postseason with 14 strikeouts and 13 strikeouts.
“Watching Tarik Skubal pitch in the playoffs last year was must-see TV. I was in awe, watching the energy, the dominance he exhibited there,” Friedman said. “I can’t wait to see it on our club.”
Roberts said he found out the Dodgers acquired Skubal just before first pitch of Saturday night’s game, and that normally he doesn’t put much stock into trade rumors until a deal is completed.
“I personally don’t put much hope into anything because a lot of it doesn’t happen,” Roberts said. “Just for fear of being let down or disappointed, all the while knowing the guys are doing the best job they can, which is what’s best for the organization.”
But the Dodgers did put Hope into this particular deal, which was enough to land Skubal in Los Angeles.
