Reports Confirm Serious Dodgers-Tigers Trade Discussions For Cy Young Winner Tarik Skubal

The Major League Baseball winter meetings are officially over, after a flurry of activity. The Orioles signed Pete Alonso. Kyle Schwarber is back with the Philadelphia Phillies.

But rumors started flying this week about the biggest potential move, and one that would send shockwaves throughout the sport: the Los Angeles Dodgers trading for Detroit Tigers superstar Tarik Skubal. The Dodgers are back-to-back World Champions. They already boast one of baseball's best rotations, with Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Blake Snell, Tyler Glasnow and Shohei Ohtani. Oh, and Roki Sasaki rejoining the rotation in 2026 after rediscovering his velocity out of the bullpen. They just signed reliever Edwin Diaz away from the New York Mets, shoring up the bullpen and their biggest weakness. 

You'd think that a team coming off a historic repeat World Series win would be happy with its roster the way it is. The Dodgers though, are not just any old team. 

When the rumors about a potential Skubal trade to LA started, they were easy to dismiss. Would the Tigers be willing to trade him after winning a second Cy Young? Could a deal even make sense, considering he's a one-year rental? Are the Dodgers the most motivated to move valuable young players and prospects? 

But on Wednesday night, new reports confirmed that there is a fire behind all that smoke. And it's getting increasingly bigger.

SEATTLE - Tarik Skubal of the Detroit Tigers warms up against the Seattle Mariners during the seventh inning in game two of the Division Series at T-Mobile Park on October 5, 2025.  (Photo by Steph Chambers/Getty Images)

Dodgers-Skubal Trade Is A Real Possibility

The first rumors came from an extremely unlikely source: a local news reporter from the KTLA television station, who posted on X that the Dodgers and Tigers had seriously discussed a Skubal trade. Then on Tuesday, he posted again that a deal was "essentially" in place, with some hurdles left, such as ownership approval in Detroit.

But it was easy to be skeptical of reporting from someone who doesn't normally break baseball news. Until Wednesday night, when USA Today's Bob Nightengale published his post-winter meetings column. In it, he wrote about a potential deal, "They (the Tigers) surprised teams by engaging in serious talks, and were intrigued by the Dodgers’ potential package of prospects, triggering trade rumors."

Tigers president of baseball operations Scott Harris also didn't exactly shut down rumors this week, saying that he doesn't "believe in untouchables at any level, anyone in our organization." While stopping short of saying he would trade him, he admitted "exploring anything that may or may not have legs."

Well then. That's obviously not a completed agreement, or a prediction that a deal is done. But the fact that talks are "serious," and that names and prospect packages have been exchanged, is a sign that this is a very realistic possibility. And boy oh boy would that be a stunning turn of events. 

Skubal is one of the top two pitchers in baseball, along with Paul Skenes. He's had three consecutive seasons with ERA's under 2.80, and the last two have been 2.39 and 2.21. He had 228 strikeouts against just 35 walks in 2024, then somehow got better in 2025 with 241 strikeouts and 33 walks. A rotation with Skubal, Yamamoto and Snell heading into a playoff series would be, well, formidable, to say the least. 

What makes a trade complicated, however, is that Skubal will reach free agency at the end of the 2026 season. Detroit would obviously look for a big return, but his value is limited by the lack of team control. The Dodgers though, might be the perfect destination to overcome those issues. They have young, controllable pitchers who've already reached the big leagues and had some level of success, like Emmett Sheehan, River Ryan and Justin Wrobleski. 

They have young position player prospects like Alex Freeman or Dalton Rushing, who are ready for full-time jobs, but blocked by established veterans in LA. And if Detroit wants more established talent on a "reasonable" contract, the Dodgers could offer Tyler Glasnow, who's signed through 2027 at the same AAV as Toronto's Dylan Cease. 

The Dodgers also might view it as an opportunity to negotiate an extension with Skubal, locking in a top target before a new collective bargaining agreement changes things. And though Scott Boras clients, as Skubal is, rarely sign extensions, the Dodgers have the money to make a compelling, market-rate offer. 

Again, it isn't imminent, but the fact that there's serious momentum is wild.