Why would the Los Angeles Dodgers stop spending now?
With several injuries in their rotation that could impact them for months, the Dodgers might be preparing a trade package for Detroit Tigers star Tarik Skubal — a move that manager Dave Roberts knows would leave plenty in the baseball world upset.
“They would go ballistic,” Roberts told USA Today’s Bob Nightengale, laughing. “But we would have the prospect capital to do that. We are one of the teams that could do that with the Tigers.”
The Dodgers, who have almost continuously made moves to bring in some of the biggest names in the sport in recent years, lead MLB with a $398 million projected payroll in 2026. The New York Mets are the only other team above $300 million. There are six teams, with the Miami Marlins coming in last, that haven’t spent $100 million.
The Dodgers landing Skubal would likely add to calls for Major League Baseball to either add a salary cap or reform the system in some way — something that is already underway amid CBA negotiations ahead of the Dec. 1 deadline. Fears of a work stoppage impacting the 2027 season are very real.
Skubal, in his seventh season in the league, would be a huge addition for the Dodgers. He currently holds a 2.70 ERA and a 3-2 record in seven starts this season in Detroit, though he’s been sidelined recovering from an elbow injury. The back-to-back Cy Young Award winner is on a one-year, $32 million deal with the team and is set to become a free agent next offseason.
Many expect that the Tigers, who are 25-38, will move Skubal before the trade deadline on August 3.
The Dodgers are dealing with plenty of injuries on the pitching front, too. Tyler Glasnow is out with lower back issues, and it’s not clear how long he’ll be sidelined. Edwin Diaz underwent surgery for an elbow injury and is still recovering. Starters Bobby Miller, Landon Knack and Gavin Stone are still out on the injured list, too.
A healthy Skubal would undoubtedly go a long way in the Dodgers’ quest to win a third straight World Series title this fall, regardless of what uproar it may cause elsewhere. Whether the Dodgers can get it done, though, is a different story.
No team is more built for a Tarik Skubal trade than the Dodgers
As much as the Dodgers’ spending pops up in the headlines, they have been the class of MLB when it comes to developing talent. And their current crop seems almost built to justify a Skubal trade.
The Dodgers are currently tied with the Seattle Mariners for the most players in MLB Pipeline’s list of Top 100 prospects, with seven. Five of those players are outfielders: Josue de Paula (No. 8), Zyhir Hope (No. 19), Eduardo Quintero (No. 37), Mike Sirota (No. 41) and Charles Davalan (No. 96). That doesn’t include their most MLB-ready prospect either, as James Tibbs is slashing 321/.424/.651 for Triple-A Oklahoma City.
The Tigers, meanwhile, rank in the bottom 10 in MLB in outfielder fWAR and have only one outfielder in their top 20 MLB Pipeline prospects above rookie ball. That prospect happens to be Max Clark, who is as good a prospect as anyone on the Dodgers’ list, but there are three outfield spots.
Riley Greene is entrenched in left field and Clark is earmarked for center field, where his plus-plus speed could make him a perennial All-Star. That still leaves right field, though, as well as designated hitter. And Greene is also a free agent after 2028.
So to summarize, you have a top contender with a glut of prospects, many of whom play the same position, and another team with an ace it has good reason to offload for younger talent. The contender is also one of the few that has the money to retain said pitcher, a pending free agent, barring the introduction of a salary cap.
The Dodgers could build a package starting with something like Hope and Tibbs, who is currently blocked at OKC, and add even more prospects or a controllable pitcher who can replace Skubal in the Detroit rotation. As far as packages go for half a season of Skubal, it’s hard to imagine any other team being able to build a real offer so painlessly.
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