The Dodgers Have a Tarik Skubal Problem. It’s Not About Money.

Everyone assumes the Dodgers are going to trade for Tarik Skubal. Or at least try. The Tigers have the best pitcher in baseball and a front office that hasn’t exactly been shy about moving talent. But here’s the thing: Los Angeles might be focused on something else entirely right now. Something that doesn’t involve Skubal or any other big league arm.

According to The Athletic’s Katie Woo, the Dodgers’ primary concern at the trade deadline isn’t upgrading the major league roster. It’s restocking the farm system. Multiple sources familiar with the team’s thinking told Woo the back-to-back champs want to improve their minor league depth. And they’re willing to part with at least one of their top outfield prospects to do it — as long as that prospect isn’t named Josue De Paula.

That’s the catch. De Paula is their top guy. The 19-year-old outfielder has the kind of bat that makes scouts drool. On-base skills, real power, good contact. But his defense? That’s the problem.

Why De Paula Might Actually Be Available

Keith Law, the MLB prospect expert, told 97.1 The Fan that De Paula could be traded — but only for an elite player. And he laid out why the Dodgers might actually consider moving him.

“I think they would [trade him], but it would have to be for an elite player,” Law said. “De Paula is either a bad corner outfielder or he’s a first baseman, possibly a DH. And that’s a problem. That just limits your flexibility, gives fewer places where the Dodgers could put him.”

Law still thinks De Paula’s bat is special. But the lack of defensive value makes him more available than, say, Eduardo Quintero or other up-the-middle prospects the Dodgers have stashed away.

But the Dodgers See Something Else

Woo reports that the Dodgers believe there’s more to unlock with De Paula. Even if speed isn’t exactly his calling card. If he can keep making strides in that department, Woo wrote, it’s hard to see Los Angeles letting him go.

So the real question isn’t whether the Dodgers want Skubal. It’s whether they can get him without giving up the one piece they’re not willing to move. And whether De Paula’s future — however limited defensively — is worth more than a pitcher who could help them three-peat.

The Dodgers haven’t confirmed any of this, by the way. But the rumors aren’t going away. And neither is the tension between winning now and building for later.