The Los Angeles Dodgers have acquired left-handed starter Tarik Skubal from the Detroit Tigers in a trade completed late Saturday night, sources confirmed. In return, Detroit received outfielder Zyhir Hope and right-handed pitchers River Ryan and Brady Smith.
Skubal, the 2024 and 2025 American League Cy Young Award winner, joins a Dodgers rotation that already includes Yoshinobu Yamamoto and is expected to regain Blake Snell and Tyler Glasnow from the injured list in the coming weeks. The 29-year-old left-hander is 7-5 with a 2.79 ERA, 0.91 WHIP and 116 strikeouts in 96â…” innings this season. He returned from a midseason elbow procedure in June and has pitched effectively since.
Skubal is under contract for the remainder of 2026 at a $32 million salary and will become a free agent after the season. The Dodgers will assume the remaining portion of that salary. Because the trade occurred during the season, Skubal is ineligible to receive a qualifying offer.
The Tigers received three prospects from a deep Dodgers system:
- Zyhir Hope, a 21-year-old outfielder ranked as Los Angeles’ No. 5 prospect and No. 25 overall by MLB Pipeline. Hope has hit .293 with a .899 OPS, 23 home runs and 18 stolen bases at Double-A Tulsa this season.
- River Ryan, a 27-year-old right-hander ranked No. 7 in the Dodgers system and No. 68 overall. Ryan has reached Triple-A but has been limited by hamstring injuries.
- Brady Smith, a 21-year-old right-hander ranked No. 17 in the Dodgers system. Smith remains in the lower levels of the minor leagues.
None of the three is currently contributing at the major-league level. Ryan is the closest to readiness but carries injury concerns and limited professional innings. Hope is performing well at Double-A and projects as a high-upside outfielder. Smith is a developmental piece with upside.
The package did not include any of the Dodgers’ top four prospects—Josue De Paula, Mike Sirota, Eduardo Quintero or Emil Morales—nor any players from the major-league roster.
Several contending teams, including the Brewers, Rays, Braves and others, were linked to Skubal in the weeks leading up to the deadline. Detroit, sitting below .500 and outside the American League wild-card race, faced the prospect of losing Skubal for no compensation in free agency. The asking price for a top-tier rental starter is typically high, and multiple clubs possessed the prospect capital to assemble competitive offers.
The Dodgers’ system depth allowed them to meet that price without sacrificing their highest-ranked talents or major-league contributors. Whether the return ultimately proves successful for Detroit will depend on Hope’s continued development and the health and performance of the two pitchers.
Skubal’s impending free agency means the Dodgers are acquiring him for the remainder of the regular season and the postseason. The current collective bargaining agreement expires on Dec. 1, 2026. Discussions between the league and the players’ association have centered on significant structural issues, including a potential salary cap, raising the possibility of a lockout that could affect the 2027 season. That uncertainty adds another layer to evaluations of long-term value in trades involving pending free agents.
For Los Angeles, the move strengthens an already strong pitching staff as the club pursues a third consecutive World Series title. For Detroit, it provides three young players to help restock the organization after parting with its most accomplished starter in recent years.
The trade is consistent with the modern market for elite rental pitchers: significant prospect cost for two months of regular-season impact and potential October contributions, with the long-term outcome left to free agency and the health of the players involved.
