Insider Downplays Dodgers’ Chances of Landing Tarik Skubal This Season

Detroit is expected to keep its Cy Young ace as it pursues contention in 2026 after he secured a $32 million arbitration award.

Overview

Sports Illustrated’s Tom Verducci said he has “never really bought into” the possibility of a Dodgers–Tigers trade for Tarik Skubal this season, citing Skubal’s value to Detroit.
Verducci indicated a deal is unlikely before Opening Day and probably won’t materialize before the trade deadline either.
Skubal won his arbitration case and is set to earn $32 million in 2026, and Verducci suggested re-signing him would require a contract beyond Detroit’s past spending.
A widely circulated Sports Illustrated mock trade sending Skubal to Los Angeles for prospects Zyhir Hope, Jackson Ferris, Emmet Sheehan and James Tibbs III remains purely hypothetical.
Skubal’s 2025 dominance — a 2.21 ERA, 241 strikeouts and a second straight AL Cy Young — underpins Detroit’s plan to contend with him atop the rotation.