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Jeff Passan of Yahoo Sports said he “guesses” the Dodgers will ultimately trade for Tarik Skubal, per a report published Tuesday. This is a notable shift in the Skubal-to-LA narrative — earlier reporting indicated a Skubal blockbuster was likely not part of the Dodgers’ deadline plans. Passan, one of the most connected reporters in baseball, apparently sees it differently.

Skubal has established himself as one of the premier left-handed starters in the American League during his time with the Tigers. The 29-year-old won the AL Cy Young Award in 2024 after a dominant season, and he’s continued pitching at an elite level. His combination of a wipeout slider and improved command has made him exactly the kind of front-line arm contending teams covet at the deadline. Detroit, in the middle of a rebuild-turned-competitive cycle, would demand a massive prospect haul — the kind of package that would gut even the Dodgers’ well-stocked farm system.

What makes Passan’s take interesting is the contrast with what we’ve heard from beat reporters closer to the team. The earlier reporting suggested the Dodgers were more likely to take an “opportunistic mindset” at the deadline — targeting bullpen help and depth pieces rather than swinging for a mega-deal. Andrew Friedman’s front office has historically been willing to pay steep prices when they believe a move puts them over the top, but they also know when the asking price doesn’t match the return. A Skubal acquisition would be the biggest deadline move in recent Dodgers history.

I’ll be honest — I’m not sure what to make of this one. Passan doesn’t throw these things out casually, and calling it a “guess” gives him plenty of room if it doesn’t happen. But it directly contradicts what the beat writers have been reporting. It’s possible the Dodgers’ internal calculus has shifted, or it’s possible Passan is reading the tea leaves differently than the people closer to the situation. Either way, this is going to dominate the conversation for the next 48 hours.

For our rotation, adding Skubal would be transformative. We’re talking about slotting a Cy Young-caliber arm into a staff that already has significant talent. The cost would be brutal — think multiple top-100 prospects — but if this front office believes Skubal is the difference between a World Series and another early exit, they’ve shown before that they’ll pull the trigger. Keep your eyes on this one as the deadline approaches.

Source(s): Jeff Passan (Yahoo Sports) | First reported: July 28, 2026 7:15 PM UTC

God Bless and Go Dodgers