All Signs Suddenly Pointing Toward Tarik Skubal Ending Up With Dodgers at Trade Deadline

It's starting to feel inevitable.

The last few months, the Los Angeles Dodgers have tried to remain quiet, maintaining they didn't feel a need to spend at the trade deadline.

Reports have indicated the Dodgers plan to "work around the margins" and potentially add to the farm system ahead of this year's Aug. 3 deadline. They continued to talk about preferring to spend over the offseason instead of the deadline, when the prices are much higher.

But here we are, just over a week until the trade deadline, and it's starting to feel like Tarik Skubal — if he's traded — will be a Dodger by next Monday.

The "if he's traded" is an important caveat, as the Detroit Tigers remain in contention in a weak American League.

However, Skubal is headed for free agency at the end of this season, and to this point, Detroit has shown no willingness to pay him what he wants.

So, the Tigers would be wise to trade Skubal no matter what and recoup some assets for the reigning two-time Cy Young award winner. And that's exactly what MLB insider Bob Nightengale reported on Sunday morning.

"Some rival GMs believe that even though the Detroit Tigers have climbed into the wild-card race, they will still trade two-time Cy Young winner Tarik Skubal, while trying to convince their players and fan base that they are not surrendering," Nightengale wrote.

That would be the smart thing to do, and there's no team who could give them a better package than the reigning back-to-back World Series champion Dodgers.

What Could Dodgers Offer to Tigers for Tarik Skubal?

The Tigers have been said to want a young, controllable starter in any Skubal deal. They also could use an outfield prospect, something the Dodgers have plenty of.

Right-handed pitcher Emmet Sheehan appears to be a perfect headliner in a trade, as he's just 26 years old and set to enter his first year of arbitration eligibility this offseason. While Sheehan is struggling this year, he's proven in the past he can be a dominant starter at the big league level.

Then, the Dodgers could trade any one of their incredible outfield prospects. While they're unlikely to want to give up Josue De Paula, they also have Mike Sirota, Eduardo Quintero, Zyhir Hope and Charles Davalan, among others.

A package of Sheehan and any of those players would likely already be the best Detroit can get.

If Detroit is adamant about getting one more player, the Dodgers could send them a lower-level prospect from their deep farm system.

Why Do Dodgers Suddenly Feel Like a Tarik Skubal Suitor?

All year long, the starting rotation has been the strength of the Dodgers.

Suddenly, though, there's a few big question marks.

Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Justin Wrobleski are continuing to lead the rotation (although Wrobleski has already set a career-high in innings pitched at any level).

Roki Sasaki is starting to pitch better, while Eric Lauer continues to help the Dodgers win games.

Then, Sheehan has been struggling, and the sixth spot in the rotation is currently comprised of bullpen games.

Shohei Ohtani, who had a 1.79 ERA across his first 14 starts this season, has been shut down from pitching due to his knee inflammation. He last pitched on July 3, and suffered a setback this weekend after a bullpen session.

Then there's Blake Snell, who has made just one start this season and is currently on a rehab assignment as he returns from surgery to remove loose bodies in his elbow. Behind him is Tyler Glasnow, who hasn't pitched since the first week of May due to a back injury that just hasn't recovered.

The Dodgers expect all three pitchers back this season. However, as they look to become the first National League team in history to complete the three-peat, they know they can't rely on it.

Thus, the Dodgers can add Skubal without putting a real dent in their farm system, and set themselves up to win that third straight World Series title ahead of an expected lockout that could change how the team is able to operate moving forward.

The time is now for the Dodgers to take advantage of the situation in front of them.

The time is now to trade for Tarik Skubal.

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