Red Sox Impacted by Tarik Skubal Trade Chaos Amid Dodgers Series

No, Skubal's Dodgers debut won't be on Sunday...

Detroit Tigers starting pitcher Tarik Skubal (29) smiles as he stands in the dugout alongside Justin Verlander during their game against the Baltimore Orioles at Comerica Park in Detroit on Wednesday, July 29, 2026. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

Boston Red Sox fans were celebrating their eighth straight series win over the Los Angeles Dodgers on Saturday night when Dodgers fans got something just as big to celebrate.

In between games two and three of this three-game set at Chavez Ravine, the Dodgers pulled off the ultimate trade deadline rotation upgrade. For the price of three minor-leaguers, they landed two-time Cy Young Award winner Tarik Skubal from the Detroit Tigers.

It would have been an awfully quick turnaround for Skubal to start Sunday's series finale, so the Red Sox dodged that bullet. But Sunday's game was definitely still impacted by the moments of trade chaos that went down.

Red Sox still facing Emmet Sheehan after trade shuffle

Jul 20, 2026; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Emmet Sheehan (80) throws a pitch during the first inning against the Philadelphia Phillies at Citizens Bank Park. Mandatory Credit: Eric Hartline-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

As reports began surfacing that a deal between the Dodgers and Tigers was close on Saturday night, Jon Heyman of the New York Post tweeted that the talks between the two clubs centered on outfield prospect Zyhir Hope and starting pitcher Emmet Sheehan, who was scheduled to be Sunday's starter.

Well, Hope was included in the final deal. Sheehan wasn't. The official return for the Tigers was Hope, right-handed pitcher River Ryan, and right-handed pitcher Brady Smith. That cleared the way for Sheehan to make his start on Sunday as scheduled.

The Red Sox's night was thrown into a bit of chaos, as manager Chad Tracy momentarily wasn't sure who his team would be facing the next day. Ian Browne of MLB.com even mistakenly tweeted that the Red Sox wouldn't be facing Sheehan before correcting himself.

Sheehan, who went to Boston College before being drafted by the Dodgers, is sporting a 4.95 ERA on the season through 19 starts. But he's striking out more than a batter per inning and would have come with 3 1/2 years of control for any team that acquired him in a trade.

Sunday night's game, which is set to begin at 7:20 p.m. ET, is still an opportunity for the Red Sox to sweep the two-time defending World Series champions. And that job is easier against just about anyone else than it would be against Skubal.

However, it would have helped the Red Sox's odds, even if it was a slight bump, for the Dodgers to have to put out a bullpen game, or even call someone up from Triple-A to fill Sheehan's spot.