The Dodgers acquired Skubal, the reigning back-to-back American League Cy Young Award winner, from the Detroit Tigers for a package of three prospects: outfielder Zyhir Hope and right-handers River Ryan and Brady Smith. Skubal, a 29-year-old pending free agent, will now headline what was arguably already the best rotation in the sport. Alongside him will be Yoshinobu Yamamoto, making a strong case for a Cy Young of his own, followed by Blake Snell, Shohei Ohtani and Tyler Glasnow, all of whom are in varying stages of returning to the mound from injury.
Skubal boasts a 2.79 ERA in 16 starts this year, striking out 116 batters and issuing 14 walks in 96⅔ innings. From 2024 to 2025, Skubal went 31-10 with a 2.30 ERA and a whopping 469 strikeouts in 387⅓ innings. His 12.6 FanGraphs wins above replacement led all major league pitchers. The Cubs, Atlanta Braves, Milwaukee Brewers, New York Yankees and Tampa Bay Rays were all in on Skubal to some extent, with the Brewers, deep in prospects, the favorites among that group. But the Dodgers were the clear front-runners all along.
