The Los Angeles Dodgers are sitting at 61-35 heading into the All-Star break. That’s the best record in baseball. And they’ve done it with Blake Snell, Tyler Glasnow, and Edwin Diaz all missing chunks of the season.
That part should scare the rest of the league. But here’s what might really terrify everyone else: the possibility that Tarik Skubal could be wearing Dodger blue next year.
Bob Nightengale of USA Today floated what he called a doomsday scenario for the sport — one where Skubal signs with Los Angeles in free agency this offseason. The Tigers lefty is set to hit the open market after this season, and he’s widely expected to land one of the biggest contracts for a pitcher in recent memory.
“The Dodgers can be beaten, and they were awfully fortunate enough to get past the San Diego Padres two years ago and the Toronto Blue Jays a year ago,” Nightengale said. “But now is the time to take your best shot. A year from now, it wouldn’t surprise a soul if the 2027 Dodgers have Skubal in that rotation, too.”
The Dodgers aren’t slowing down
What makes the Skubal-Dodgers talk so ominous isn’t just his talent. It’s that Los Angeles has already been dominant without consistent pitching health. Snell has been banged up. Glasnow can’t stay on the field. Diaz has been hurt. And they’re still running away with the NL West.
Add Skubal to that mix and you’re looking at a rotation that could be historically deep. He’s having another Cy Young-caliber year in Detroit — electric stuff, elite command, a guy who can dominate a playoff series all by himself. The Tigers might trade him before the deadline if they get a monster offer. But if they hold on, he’s walking this winter anyway.
The Dodgers have money. They have a track record of landing big free agents. And they have a front office willing to spend whatever it takes. Skubal would turn a rotation full of talented but fragile arms into a juggernaut.
Trade deadline or free agency
Right now teams are lining up to make offers on Skubal. Detroit is listening. The Tigers could get a haul of prospects if they pull the trigger before the deadline. But a team like the Dodgers — already loaded, already winning — might not even need to trade for him. They could simply wait until November and write a check.
That’s the nightmare scenario Nightengale is talking about. Not just one year of Skubal. But a long-term commitment that locks him into a rotation that’s already the most expensive and talented in the sport. And for everyone trying to catch Los Angeles? The window keeps shrinking.
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