Dodgers acquire Cy Young winner Tarik Skubal from Tigers before trade deadline

Los Angeles completed a trade for Detroit right-hander Tarik Skubal, the 2025 Cy Young Award winner, in exchange for three prospects, outfielder Zyhir Hope and right-handed pitchers River Ryan and Brady Smith, a source familiar with the negotiations said. The move was finalized two days before the trade deadline.

Skubal posted a 2.79 ERA in 16 starts last season and has recorded a 2.87 ERA in nine starts this year after recovering from a minimally invasive NanoNeedle elbow procedure. He is under contract through the end of the season and will become a free agent thereafter.

Dodgers president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman said, "There just aren’t that many star-level players in the game. Any time one is available, we’re always going to participate in those conversations. We’ve shown to be very aggressive in the past."

The Tigers, who sit 53-58 and are 2½ games behind the final American League wild-card spot, traded Skubal to avoid the risk of losing him without compensation in free agency.

Los Angeles’ rotation, which includes Blake Snell returning from elbow surgery and Tyler Glasnow preparing for a rehab assignment, adds Skubal as a depth option amid ongoing concerns about Shohei Ohtani’s left-knee injury. The organization believes the acquisition improves its postseason pitching depth.

Among the prospects sent to Detroit, River Ryan is the highest-ranked, listed as the No. 2 pitcher in the Dodgers’ system by MLB Pipeline, while outfielder Zyhir Hope is ranked No. 25 overall. Brady Smith, a recent High-A promotion, is ranked No. 17 among the club’s prospects.