The Trade We All Saw Coming: Dodgers Land Tarik Skubal

Well, the wait is finally over. Tarik Skubal, the top talent on the trade market, has been traded to no other than the Los Angeles Dodgers for outfielder Zyhir Hope (Just Baseball No. 40), pitcher River Ryan (Just Baseball No. 41), and pitching prospect Brady Smith. The rich get richer.

For weeks, heck, months, trade speculation followed the back-to-back Cy Young winner with the Dodgers always feeling like the frontrunner. Even with the level of talent on their roster, the Dodgers had the gluttonous need to add the best pitcher in the game and the prospect capital to pull it off.

Detroit has been playing much better baseball over the past two months and is still well within the AL Wild Card race, but who isn’t.

Moving Skubal and his expiring deal always felt like the most likely path and getting a return of this level was too rich for Scott Harris and company to pass up considering Skubal will only make roughly 10-12 more starts before hitting free agency.

A move that was expected, but is now final.

Dodgers Side: The Rich Get Richer

What do you get someone who already has everything they want?

I go back to the time when Angelina Jolie bought Ernest Hemingway’s 1926 typewriter for Brad Pitt as a wedding gift for $250,000 because, why not?

The Dodgers landed top international stars in Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Roki Sasaki, and Shoehi Ohtani and signed top free agents in Tyler Gasnow and Blake Snell. They are used to getting what they want and that’s no different at this year’s deadline.

With Glasnow and Snell injured and Ohtani not set to pitch anymore this season, the Dodgers needed to add to their rotation. Even with Emmet Sheehan and Justin Wrobleski in the mix, adding a guy who could take the ball in a playoff game was a top need.

Adding Skubal? Video game scenario. Fans of all other teams are likely fuming, but the reality is the Dodgers are playing in a different sandbox, not only financially, but in their farm system. Skubal’s $32 million this season was difficult for certain teams to add even at a prorated price, but the Dodgers didn’t seem to care.

Zyhir Hope is the biggest prospect in the return. A clear top 50 prospect no matter the outlet but ranked as the fourth-best outfield prospect in the Dodgers system alone, according to Pipeline. Trading Hope was probably not easy but absolutely doable.

River Ryan is a unique prospect. He’ll turn 28 in August but injuries have limited his innings while his stuff has kept him high on lists despite his age. Smith was the Dodgers third-round selection in 2023 and has shown a lot of promise but when your system is this stacked it’s pocket change.

The Dodgers clear focus is to be the first three-peat since the late 1990s Yankees. A feat they were already the favorite to pull off, but now it’s just laughable. What more do I need to say? Everyone not sporting Dodger blue is furious because they know their team cannot do what the Dodgers are doing.

Tigers Boost Farm and Add to Rotation

Detroit was in a situation where passing up on trading Skubal quickly became irresponsible.

The flaws on this roster started to show more and more, and considering they are still six games under .500 they had to make the move.

Tampa Bay, Milwaukee, and Atlanta were apparently interested but Atlanta didn’t have the prospect capital and you have to wonder if Milwaukee and Tampa were less willing to trade the prospects and take on money they usually shy away from.

Losing Skubal is going to hurt no matter how I spin it. Even with removing my Tigers fandom I like the deal for Detroit. I’m not jumping for joy and thinking the Tigers made out like bandits, but the return aligns with roughly what I would have expected.

Hope has 50+ grades across the board and will likely be in Detroit’s lineup next year. He drastically improves the outfield outlook going forward and adds much-needed defense in right.

Across 94 Double-A games, Hope is slashing .293/.369/.530 with 23 home runs, 18 stolen bases, and a 130 wRC+. The boost in power is noticeable after hitting only 13 home runs (.162 ISO) across 127 games last season and currently posting a .237 ISO.

The clear top prospect of the group that should become as the Tigers top prospect once Max Clark graduates. River Ryan gets some flak for his age, but once you watch him pitch, you’ll see why he still lands on top prospect list.

A six-pitch mix that includes multiple fastballs with plus velocity, a lethal slider and curveball, and a changeup that neutralizes lefties. Not only does he have strikeout stuff but his command is also an attribute. He is set to return from injury shortly and should slide into the Tigers rotation immediately.

Lastly is Brady Smith. Another righty starter who has a 13.68 K/9 and 3.63 BB/9 across 21 starts in the minors this season. Detroit can afford to take its time with Smith, who only recently arrived in High-A. He comes with a tight windup and whipping action with a motion that makes the ball shoot out of his hand. He’s a fast riser.

With Skubal gone, Mize likely soon after, and Flaherty set to hit the open market the Tigers needed an arm for their rotation. Ryan is the immediate option and Smith adds much-needed talent to their pitching pipeline. Scott Harris loves lefty bats and got one of the better one’s in minor league baseball. So long, Kerry Carpenter in right.

Final Thoughts

If you are a Dodgers fan you have to like this package. You get to keep your top outfield prospects along with Emmet Sheehan while adding a bulldog to your rotation. I’m sure you’ll sleep well tonight. The Dodgers keep making the type of moves that are truly statement moves.

Tigers fans have likely talked themselves into packages that weren’t possible. Eduardo Quintero would have been my preferred option as a right-handed bat and I would have liked to get Sheehan instead of Ryan, but by no means am I upset about the return.

A pending free agent who had surgery on his elbow two months ago just netted you two top-100 prospects. The Tigers brought back a package that will help them in 2027 instead of 2029, and to me, that’s important.