Tarik Skubal is a Dodger?! Grading the deadline's biggest blockbuster
Get the Sports newsletter
Daily sports — scores, transfers, the storylines from the leagues you actually follow. Free.
- Tarik Skubal was traded to the Los Angeles Dodgers from the Detroit Tigers late Saturday for OF Zyhir Hope, RHP River Ryan, and RHP Brady Smith, two days before the MLB trade deadline, with multiple teams reportedly in on the two-time American League Cy Young winner.
- The Dodgers received an 'A' grade — they already field hitters ranked No. 2, 7, 15, 25, 30, and 33 by WAA (Shohei Ohtani, Mookie Betts, Freddie Freeman, Kyle Tucker, Max Muncy, Will Smith) and a rotation ranked Nos. 2, 4, 5, 7, and 24 by ERA+.
- The Tigers received a 'D' grade — Zyhir Hope is only the fourth-best outfield prospect in L.A.'s system, and the article argues Detroit should have waited closer to the deadline to extract better value from Skubal's expiring contract.
- Shohei Ohtani's knee injury — described as shrouded in mystery and potentially limiting him as a pitcher — was a stated factor driving the Dodgers to bolster their rotation with Skubal.
- Non-Dodger fans earned an 'F' grade, with the article framing the move as accelerating the Dodgers' 'Borg-like quest for permanent domination' and making an already-favored team's three-peat feel increasingly inevitable.
- Returned prospects include River Ryan, 27, with a 4.46 ERA over eight Triple-A outings after blowing out his elbow in 2024, and Brady Smith, 21, a 2023 third-round pick who is 0-10 with a 4.72 ERA across 30 professional starts.
Why it matters: The Dodgers — already a two-time defending World Series champion — landed the best pitcher in baseball without surrendering their top outfield prospect, reinforcing an already-overwhelming roster. The trade also hands ammunition to owners arguing competitive imbalance in CBA talks, per the source.
