The two-time reigning World Series champion Los Angeles Dodgers trading for two-time reigning AL Cy Young winner Tarik Skubal is the definition of the rich getting richer. The deal makes the already heavily favored Dodgers even bigger World Series favorites, as they could become the first team to three-peat in over a quarter-century this fall.
At the same time, it's not like the Dodgers gave up too much of consequence in return for Skubal. Any team serious about winning could've theoretically offered a better deal. But ... they didn't. Sure, it's undoubtedly frustrating for people tired of seeing the Dodgers rule baseball with what seems like impossibly deep pockets and resources, but that's their team's problem, not the Dodgers for pushing all their chips
in on history while operating as any serious professional sports franchise should.
You can count Skubal among the people who don't have sympathy for anyone complaining about the Dodgers adding to their already stacked deck of cards. And with every word, he is absolutely right, even if it is a quote spoken from a man who knows he's likely about to get a World Series ring on a short-term, three-month rental:
Tarik Skubal: “Every team could trade for me. I don’t sympathize with people that blame the Dodgers for anything they’ve done. It’s a winning org…I really don’t sympathize with people that are complaining because the Dodgers do all the right things.”
— Jesse Rogers (@JesseRogersESPN) August 3, 2026
As Skubal said, the Dodgers are a winning organization that wants to keep winning.
It's not their fault if other teams do not want to put in the same effort to win. Skubal was there for the taking for everyone, and the Dodgers swooped in with an offer anyone could have beaten. If you don't like that as a fan, take it up with your team's front office, not the Dodgers, for taking advantage of the competition that seems to be moving around in molasses by comparison.
When is Tarik Skubal's first start with the Dodgers?
Skubal is expected to start against the Chicago Cubs on Tuesday night at Wrigley Field.
This article originally appeared on For The Win: Tarik Skubal shared blunt message for MLB fans complaining about Dodgers trade
