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▲ Detroit Tigers’ Tarik Skubal.
[SPOTV News=Kim Geon-il] Tarik Skubal could be on the move to the Dodgers in July.
In January, ahead of the 2026 season, ESPN’s Jesse Rogers wrote a piece titled “Bold MLB Predictions for 2026: World Series Winner, Trades and Other Developments,” predicting the Dodgers would acquire Skubal in July.
Is that prediction coming true? With Detroit stumbling out of the gate, the likelihood the Tigers deal Skubal before the trade deadline has increased.
On the 22nd (KST), New York Post reporter Jon Heyman said Skubal’s trade chances are rising and cited four key reasons.
First, Detroit has collapsed, losing 14 of its last 16 games. The Tigers sit at the bottom of the division and trail the wild-card picture by five games. Second, Detroit’s rotation is in crisis: five starters are currently on the injured list. Third, Skubal has shown encouraging progress after an elbow scope; his rehab is moving forward. Fourth — and most crucial — the Tigers are not expected to sign Skubal to a long-term extension, which increases the incentive to trade him while his value is high.
Before the season, the outlook was very different. Detroit was considered a contender in the AL Central, and Skubal — under team control through 2026 — was widely viewed as untouchable.
But the landscape shifted quickly. A rash of injuries has derailed Detroit, widening the gap to the division leader to 9.5 games and knocking them out of contention in the wild-card race.
Skubal recently underwent arthroscopic surgery to remove loose bodies from his elbow. While that procedure typically points to a late-season return, renowned sports surgeon Dr. Neal ElAttrache used a newer technique that reportedly minimizes damage to surrounding tissue and speeds recovery.
Skubal was already throwing catch roughly a week after the operation. Blake Snell underwent the same procedure recently.
Local analysts say if Skubal is close to returning before the trade deadline, Detroit would have strong reasons to pull the trigger on a deal.
▲ Tarik Skubal has emerged as one of MLB’s biggest storylines amid trade talk
Skubal won the 2024 Cy Young Award with a 2.39 ERA and followed that with an even more dominant 2.21 ERA in 2025. This season, before the injury, he was one of the majors’ best arms, posting a 2.70 ERA across 43 1/3 innings.
Given that profile, multiple clubs are expected to pursue him. The team most frequently linked to Skubal is the Los Angeles Dodgers. On paper, the Dodgers boast a star-studded rotation, but injuries have taken a toll — starters such as Tyler Glasnow and Blake Snell have shuffled on and off the injured list.
If a healthy Skubal becomes available, MLB insiders expect the Dodgers to be aggressive.
But the price would be steep. Reports suggest Los Angeles would likely have to part with an MLB-ready young starter plus one or two top prospects to land Skubal.
In January, Rogers predicted the Dodgers would “go all in” for Skubal. The bar is high, but the Dodgers hold ample trade assets, making a blockbuster deal plausible.
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