Tarik Skubal, Dodgers Buzz Is MLB World's Worst Nightmare

If the Detroit Tigers end up trading ace Tarik Skubal this summer, there is one location that would potentially break the 2026 Major League Baseball season: the Los Angeles Dodgers.

This isn't to say the Tigers shouldn't consider an offer from the Dodgers if they make the best offer — if Skubal does become available, of course. If the Tigers end up flipping Skubal, their front office's job is to get the best return possible. If the Dodgers happen to make the best offer, then it's their prerogative to put Detroit in the best long-term position.

With each passing day and Skubal being talked about more and more, it certainly seems like people around the league think Los Angeles is a realistic landing spot for the two-time reigning American League Cy Young Award winner. On Monday, ESPN shared a column in which nine landing spots and trades were pitched for Skubal. Naturally, the Dodgers were the top one. But even further, ESPN's Kiley McDaniel noted that in conversations he's had around the league with sources, all of the talks have started with Los Angeles.

The MLB World Is Watching The Dodgers Right Now

Scenes from Detroit Tigers pitcher Tarik Skubal's rehab start with the West Michigan Whitecaps on Sunday, June 7, at LMCU Ballpark in Comstock Park. | Lenny Padilla / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

"The GM says: Sigh," McDaniel wrote. "Every conversation I've had with sources about a potential Skubal deal starts with, 'Well, if the Dodgers want to, they can/will ...' because they have the options and the situation to make a deal pretty easy to put together, it just needs to be something Andrew Friedman wants to do. Luckily, I'm not dealing with Friedman or any real baseball executives in this exercise, so the bidding got a bit out of hand."

Baseball is in a good place with viewership up and things of that nature. But there is certainly a contingent of fans around the league who have gotten more upset with the Dodgers for their free-spending ways, than clubs like the Miami Marlins for simply not spending to the levels they can. The Dodgers are using their resources to win as much as possible and yet they still have one of the best farm systems in the league.

In fact, when The Athletic's Keith Law released his updated list of the top 50 prospects in baseball, the Dodgers led the way with six on his list. No other team had more than three. The Dodgers could trade three elite prospects from the list and still be tied for the most prospects on the list with three. That's how good their farm system is.

Baseball is uncertain beyond the 2026 season because the collective bargaining agreement will expire. The Dodgers are going to be a hot topic throughout the season and the negotiations. But for Los Angeles what matters is winning. The Dodgers have won two straight titles already and are 42-24 on the season. The Dodgers could realistically go out and acquire someone like Skubal for prospects and not cut away from the big league roster at all. If this chatter does turn into reality, it's a safe bet that the World Series trophy will land in Los Angeles once again.

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