Tarik Skubal wants to pitch for the Dodgers

The Tarik Skubal situation is moving at breakneck speed.

Yesterday's loss—in which Skubal watched his teammates squander the lead he had helped build—has likely sealed the deal.

Now, more and more teams are calling.

The pitcher, even though he wants to finish the season with the Tigers (as he's often said), isn't fooled: the Tigers can't win the World Series in 2026. Plus, he knows the Tigers won't be able to meet his financial demands down the road.

He's going to hit the jackpot this winter, and we all know all too well that it won't be in Michigan.

The Dodgers' name keeps coming up in discussions as the year winds down. After all, the club loves star players, has the money to pay him, and has prospects that could satisfy the Tigers.

Plus, the Shohei Ohtani situation is creating uncertainty in the rotation. Some reinforcements would help.

Speaking of the Dodgers: Bob Nightengale reported in a USA Today article that the pitcher's top preference for 2027 would be to pitch in L.A. Does that sound like a work stoppage to you? Possibly, yes.

Note: His desire to sign with Los Angeles as a free agent and his situation between now and August 3 aren't directly related. He has no say in a potential trade in the next four days.

A small-market team like Milwaukee (imagine him teaming up with Jacob Misiorowski…) or Tampa Bay could come after him, and he'd have no choice but to accept that his bosses have traded him.

But not only do the Dodgers (who know Skubal won't sign a contract until he becomes a free agent) need him now, they also want to give themselves an advantage for when he chooses his team this winter.

After all, having the Dodgers tell him this winter, “Remember how much fun we had together for months,” is valuable. That can tip the scales—and the Dodgers' front office knows it.

Created by humans, assisted by AI.