Sports

Dodgers Have Easiest Path to Tarik Skubal Trade, Per Insider

By John Sparaco Athlon Sports

Every contender will covet Detroit Tigers ace Tarik Skubal at this year's MLB trade deadline, but few clubs have the assets to pull off a blockbuster move. The Los Angeles Dodgers are one of them.

In an article published Monday, ESPN's Jeff Passan and Kiley McDaniel evaluated nine realistic trade offers for Skubal, ranking the likelihood of each package getting a deal done. While a couple of teams' hypothetical offers landed in the "close … but no cigar" category, the insiders determined that no club could match the Dodgers' combination of pitching and outfield prospect depth.

"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," Passan wrote. "It just needs to be something Andrew Friedman wants to do."

The Dodgers' hypothetical trade offer for Skubal included right-handed starter Emmet Sheehan, outfield prospect Zyhir Hope and 19-year-old middle infielder Aidan West, who reportedly has scouts in the Arizona Complex League buzzing. Passan described the package as a "wild overpay" but added that the possibility of three straight championships calls for it.

Sheehan, 26, has made 12 starts for the Dodgers this season, posting a 4.70 ERA and 1.21 WHIP with 64 strikeouts in 59.1 innings. He would immediately slot into the Tigers' rotation if included in a Skubal trade. ESPN named Justin Wrobleski, River Ryan and Christian Zazueta as other arms that could interest Detroit if Sheehan is left out of a potential deal.

Hope, 21, is the No. 17 prospect in baseball and the No. 2 prospect in the Dodgers' farm system, according to MLB Pipeline. The 5-foot-10 outfielder possesses above-average raw power from the left side of the plate and is regarded as a fearless defender capable of handling center field. Through 54 games with Double-A Tulsa this season, he is batting .294/.351/.528 with 13 home runs and 55 RBIs.

ESPN noted that the Dodgers can offer plenty of other outfielders, including No. 3 prospect Eduardo Quintero, Mike Sirota (No. 4) and Charles Davalan (No. 7). However, the outlet indicated that top prospect Josue De Paula (No. 8 overall in MLB) is not an option.

Skubal, 29, has won back-to-back American League Cy Young awards but is on an expiring contract and is one month removed from having loose bodies surgically removed from his left elbow. The southpaw began a rehab assignment Sunday with High-A West Michigan and was dominant, racking up 16 whiffs while throwing 44 of 54 pitches for strikes.

Tigers manager A.J. Hinch suggested last Friday that Skubal could be reinstated after just one rehab start, so it may not be long before the left-hander is back on a major league mound. Prior to landing on the injured list, he made seven starts and posted a 2.70 ERA and 0.95 WHIP with 45 strikeouts in 43.1 innings.

The next couple of months will be critical in determining whether Detroit (27-39) can climb back into playoff contention. The Tigers have not made Skubal available to this point, but that could change if they remain out of the race closer to the Aug. 3 trade deadline.

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This story was originally published June 8, 2026 at 1:23 PM.

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