The Los Angeles Dodgers were able to improve their pitching rotation by acquiring Jack Flaherty from the Detroit Tigers ahead of the 2024 MLB trade deadline. However, did the Dodgers attempt to acquire Flaherty's former Tigers teammate, Tarik Skubal? According to Dylan Hernandez of the Los Angeles Times, a source said the Tigers “wouldn't talk about Skubal” ahead of the deadline.

Skubal is only 27 years old and he has established himself as one of the best pitchers in MLB. He was selected to his first All-Star team this season and currently leads the league in ERA (2.35), ERA-plus (180), and wins (12). Skubal has also struck out 154 hitters across his 130 innings of work.

The Tigers left-handed starter was mentioned in trade rumors before the 2024 deadline. There was no urgency to trade him, as Skubal is under team control through the 2026 campaign. The Tigers are just 52-57 in 2024, but they likely envision themselves competing within the next year or two.

Having Skubal lead the rotation will place the Tigers in a competitive position. Trading him to the Dodgers, or any team, would have only prolonged their rebuild.

Tigers are close to competing as Dodgers fail to trade for Tarik Skubal

There were some people around the MLB world who believed the Tigers could make a postseason run in 2024. Detroit has taken steps forward in recent seasons, but they are not a serious contender just yet.

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With that being said, the Tigers are close. They have developed a roster with no shortage of potential. Of course, Detroit is banking on their prospects finding success at the big league level. Once that happens, then Detroit can become a buyer and add proven MLB talent around their core of players.

Meanwhile, anything short of a World Series victory will be considered a failure for the talented Dodgers. LA features one of the best all-around rosters in baseball and they expect to win a championship soon.

Anything can happen in the postseason, though. Adding Flaherty will improve the Dodgers' chances of making a deep run in October.