Dodgers' Emmet Sheehan Emerging as Key Trade Piece to Land Tarik Skubal

Right-handed pitcher Emmet Sheehan has spent the entire 2026 season in the Los Angeles Dodgers' starting rotation.

In his first full season at the major league level, he's shown some good, but has also been incredibly inconsistent.

Overall, Sheehan has a 5.13 ERA over 87.2 innings on the year. He's shown signs of being a dominant pitcher, but more often than not has been unable to put up zeroes on a consistent basis.

He's also struggled to go deep into games.

Sheehan is just 26 years old, and has already pitched in some key moments for LA in the postseason and even in the World Series.

At the same time, the Dodgers are lkely wary with trusting him in big moments based on how he's pitched this season, and manager Dave Roberts recently hinted that the only reason he's continuing to get opportunities is because there's no other options.

Amid his struggles — and the Dodgers' quest for a three-peat — the right-hander has been arbitrarily placed in trade rumors this summer, with the main one involving Los Angeles acquiring ace Tarik Skubal of the Detroit Tigers.

Skubal has been the talk of the baseball world as the Aug. 3 trade deadline approaches, with the Dodgers being heavily linked to the left-hander. While it remains to be seen if Skubal will be moved, MLB insiders Ken Rosenthal and Will Sammon of The Athletic mentioned Sheehan as an ideal trade chip if Skubal is dealt.

"The way [the Tigers] would do it, according to two rival executives briefed on the Tigers’ thinking, is by trading Skubal for a controllable starting pitcher plus quality prospects," Rosenthal and Sammon wrote. "The starter would replace Skubal in the rotation, backfilling his innings but almost certainly providing lesser performance."

Sheehan was listed "among the pitchers who might fit in such a trade."

Detroit will be looking for a haul to move Skubal, even with the left-hander as a rental for the last few months of the seeason. So far, Los Angeles has been reported as not being interested in going big-game hunting, but that doesn't mean they won't engage Detroit if he becomes available.

Should the Dodgers Trade for Tarik Skubal?

The Dodgers don't have many needs across the roster, but injuries to multiple starting pitchers could force the front office to make a move. Tyler Glasnow (back), Blake Snell (elbow) and Shohei Ohtani (knee) are all currently out of the rotation, potentially forcing the Dodgers to add another piece.

Skubal would be the blockbuster move for Los Angeles, giving an already loaded rotation even more power. But whether the Dodgers are open to moving multiple top prospects (and someone like Sheehan) for the left-hander is the big question, especially when both Snell and Glasnow should be back from injury well before the postseason.

The Dodgers and Tigers have been said to match up "perfectly" on a potential trade, even if Los Angeles isn't willing to get aggressive right now.

A trade package of Sheehan plus two or three prospects would likely get the job done to bring Skubal to the back-to-back defending champions.

However, the Dodgers would likely prefer to hold onto their prospects, and then pay Skubal in a few months when he enters free agency.

On the flip side, given the rare situation that the Dodgers find themselves in this season, adding Skubal could put them over the top in their three-peat quest.

Los Angeles has a chance to make history, and bringing in arguably the best pitcher in baseball would go a long way in making that a reality.

Imagine a postseason rotation of Skubal, Ohtani, Snell and reigning World Series MVP Yoshinobu Yamamoto.

Add us as a preferred source on Google