Under the heat of the Winter Meetings spotlight, insiders keep imagining the Los Angeles Dodgers taking a massive trade for Detroit Tigers ace Tarik Skubal. The idea sounds wild. The price would be enormous. And yet the thought lingers because the Dodgers have the rare combination of depth, money, and boldness to make a fantasy feel almost plausible.
The Dodgers don’t need Tarik Skubal. At least not on paper. Their rotation already looks stacked, especially with Gavin Stone, River Ryan, and Kyle Hurt set to return from injuries. But October changes perspectives. Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Blake Snell carried heavy loads. Shohei Ohtani, Tyler Glasnow, and Roki Sasaki may face innings management from the Dodgers.
Even with Emmet Sheehan and Justin Wrobleski emerging, the path isn’t perfect. That’s why Skubal’s name keeps echoing through the hotel hallways. A Cy Young ace stabilizes everything.
The Dodgers dream scenario insiders can’t resist
A Tarik Skubal trade would instantly shift the Dodgers’ ceiling. Power in the fastball. Poise in big moments. Command when stadiums shake. He’s the kind of pitcher contenders empty their pockets for, not the kind they casually pass on. And the Dodgers have pockets deeper than anyone.
They can offer young pitching, top prospects, and still move forward without flinching. Money has never slowed them. Ambition has never scared them. Andrew Friedman said it himself: resources let them act aggressively when others cannot.
The Tigers controls the board, though. Skubal’s projected $17.8 million arbitration salary barely registers for a franchise with a $339 million luxury-tax payroll. His final year of club control gives the Tigers leverage. His representation by Scott Boras makes an extension nearly impossible. But none of that stops the whispers.
Because the vision is too tempting. Skubal in a Dodgers uniform. A rotation overflowing with dominance. A dynasty window pushed even wider.
If the Dodgers ever decide to chase that fantasy, how explosive would the Winter Meetings become?
