WEST SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) 鈥� The Los Angeles Dodgers have acquired the biggest prize on the trade deadline market, getting two-time reigning AL Cy Young Award winner Tarik Skubal from the Detroit Tigers on Saturday night.
Skubal got the news during the and was emotional after the game as he prepared to leave the team that drafted him in 2018 and developed him into a star to join the two-time defending World Series champions.
鈥淚鈥檓 excited to be a Dodger,” he said. “I鈥檓 excited to get down there and meet all those guys and chase three championships in a row. That鈥檚 hard to do, so I鈥檓 so excited to a part of that. But it鈥檚 a lot of different emotions. Definitely kind of a roller coaster a little bit.鈥�
Skubal is the latest star to join the high-priced roster for the Dodgers that already has big-name players like Shohei Ohtani, Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Mookie Betts. If everyone is healthy, he could be part of a rotation with Ohtani, reigning World Series MVP Yamamoto, fellow two-time Cy Young Award winner Blake Snell and Tyler Glasnow. The Dodgers lead the majors with a 3.36 ERA from their starting pitchers and now add Skubal to the mix.
The Dodgers are in first place in the NL West and were already the favorites to become the first team to three-peat since the New York Yankees from 1998-2000 before adding Skubal. They began the season with a $323.3 million opening-day payroll for their 40-man roster and a $163.7 million tax for a . They will pay Skubal about $9.5 million for the remainder of the season.
ESPN first reported the deal and said the Tigers would receive three minor league prospects in right-handers River Ryan and Brady Smith and outfielder Zyhir Hope.
Skubal is eligible for free agency after the World Series. He has a $32 million salary, a , after the team offered $19 million, and is expected to sign a massive contract in the offseason.
The 29-year-old lefty said in July that it was his preference to finish the season with the Tigers and to compete for a World Series championship, which has eluded the franchise since 1984. Skubal took the loss in the decisive Game 5 of the division series against Cleveland in 2024 and then got a no-decision in a 15-inning loss to Seattle in Game 5 of the division series last year.
He said it was 鈥渧ery tough鈥� to leave the Tigers having fallen short of the goal of winning a title.
鈥淓ver since that 鈥�24 Game 5, the failure that I experienced on the mound, I鈥檝e used that as fuel to try and bring a World Series to the city of Detroit. I truly did,鈥� he said. 鈥淭hat whole offseason I鈥檝e never been more motivated and then go in and we lose Game 5 again. That failure kind of sparks some more motivation, just to dig deeper and see how good you can truly be. The goal was always to win a World Series for the city, for the organization that took a chance on me. It鈥檚 tough. I love all those guys in there. They鈥檙e some of my best friends.鈥�
Detroit planned to contend again this season, bolstering the Skubal-led rotation by giving two-time All-Star pitcher a $115 million, three-year contract in free agency and retaining three-time All-Star infielder Gleyber Torres with a $22 million deal.
The Tigers, though, got off to a rough start and are currently 2 1/2 games out of the last wild-card spot in the American League.
鈥淚t鈥檚 crazy. Going into the season, this isn鈥檛 what I planned on doing,鈥� Skubal said. 鈥淏ut circumstances change, situations change, and I鈥檓 very appreciative of everything the Tigers have done for me.鈥�
They bounced back in June and most of July to get into playoff contention with Skubal leading a rotation and three All-Stars in the lineup: rookie infielder , catcher Dillon Dingler and outfielder Riley Greene.
With a chance to possibly persuade management to keep Skubal by improving its playoff positioning, Detroit lost ground by dropping four of its last five games at home, including Skubal鈥檚 last start that was made even more memorable by a late-inning collapse.
The Tigers led Baltimore 7-0 after six innings Wednesday and lost 10-9 in 12 innings. started the game, recorded his 1,000th career strikeout and was cheered at every opportunity by a crowd of 34,406.
鈥淚鈥檝e watched this guy rise to the top of the sport,鈥� manager A.J. Hinch said. 鈥淗e鈥檚 carried us a lot. I鈥檒l forever be grateful that our paths crossed and the things that he did for this organization and for a couple of playoff teams. His presence, his work ethic, his example, his dominance. There鈥檚 so much to go through, it鈥檚 hard to capture in one quote or kind of one setting. But I鈥檓 very grateful that I was able to manage him for the time that I did.鈥�
Skubal is 7-5 this season with a 2.79 ERA and 116 strikeouts in 96 2/3 innings. He is 61-42 with a 3.04 ERA over seven seasons, all in Detroit. In two postseasons, Skubal is 2-1 with a 2.04 ERA in six starts.
Skubal had a minimally invasive on May 6 to remove a loose body from his pitching elbow and returned to pitch on June 13.
鈥淭he way the surgery went is exactly how it was supposed to go,鈥� he said in July.
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AP Sports Writer Larry Lage in Detroit contributed to this report
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