The Los Angeles Dodgers were rejoicing Sunday after acquiring two-time Cy Young Award winner Tarik Skubal in a trade with the Detroit Tigers.
The Dodgers sent three minor league prospects to Detroit in the deal announced Sunday, one day before the Major League Baseball trading deadline.
The Dodgers are betting on Skubal joining a stacked rotation that would include Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Blake Snell, Tyler Glasnow and Shohei Ohtani, although Snell, Glasnow and Ohtani are currently battling injuries.
In exchange for the 29-year-old Skubal, who will be a free agent after this season, LA sent outfielder Zyhir Hope and pitchers River Ryan and Brady Smith to Detroit.
“I’m excited to be a Dodger,” Skubal told reporters in Sacramento, where the Tigers were playing the A’s. “I’m excited to get down there and meet all those guys and chase three championships in a row. It’s hard to do, so I’m excited to be a part of that.”
Skubal made his Major League debut in 2020 with the Tigers, appearing in just eight games. He began to excel in 2023, going 7-3 with a 2.80 earned-run average. He followed that up with his best season in 2024, posting an 18-4 record with a 2.39 ERA and a league-leading 228 strikeouts in 192 innings pitched, winning the first of his back-to-back Cy Young Awards.
His won-loss record was just 13-6 last season, but he still captured another Cy Young Award with a league-leading 2.21 ERA and 241 strikeouts in 195 innings.
This season, Skubal has a 7-5 record with a 2.79 ERA and 116 strikeouts in 96 innings.
“Welcome to Los Angeles, Tarik!” the Dodgers posted Sunday on X.
ESPN reported that Skubal will make his Dodgers debut Tuesday against the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field.