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Tarik Skubal isn’t losing any sleep over the rest of baseball’s reaction to his trade to the Dodgers. In comments reported by Jack Harris at the New York Post, the left-hander said he doesn’t “really sympathize” with those upset about the Dodgers landing yet another front-line arm in what’s been called an MLB-altering deal.

Skubal’s bluntness here is refreshing. The 29-year-old has earned the right to be direct. He won the American League Cy Young Award in 2024 with the Tigers, posting a 2.39 ERA with 228 strikeouts across 192 innings — a season that announced him as one of the best pitchers in baseball. He followed that up with another dominant campaign in Detroit before the Tigers ultimately decided to move him rather than risk losing him or paying what it would take to extend him. Skubal has been one of the most consistent arms in the game over the past two-plus seasons, and he clearly views himself as someone who belongs on a championship-caliber roster. No apologies.

The criticism, of course, isn’t really about Skubal. It’s about the Dodgers’ willingness and ability to keep adding elite talent to a roster that was already stacked. The front office, led by Andrew Friedman, has built a machine that continues to attract — and now trade for — the best players in the sport. Adding Skubal to a rotation that already features Shohei Ohtani, Yoshinobu Yamamoto, and Blake Snell makes this arguably the deepest pitching staff ever assembled. That’s not hyperbole. Other teams see it, their fans see it, and the frustration is understandable from their perspective.

But Skubal’s right not to care. Players don’t owe anyone an apology for wanting to pitch in October. He didn’t orchestrate the trade — Detroit made that call. And now that he’s here, his job is to pitch, not to manage the feelings of rival fanbases. I actually appreciate that he said it plainly instead of giving some sanitized “I’m just blessed” answer. He knows what this roster is, and he’s ready to be part of it.

The broader picture for us is simple: this team is built to win now, and the players they’re acquiring know it and embrace it. Skubal isn’t showing up cautiously or trying to play diplomat. He’s showing up with the confidence of a Cy Young winner who believes he just joined the best team in baseball. That’s exactly the mentality you want from a guy who’s going to be pitching in high-leverage October games. His Dodgers debut is set for Tuesday at Wrigley Field, and the anticipation keeps building. The rest of the league’s complaints are just background noise at this point.

Source(s): Jack Harris (New York Post) | First reported: August 3, 2026 11:35 PM UTC

God Bless and Go Dodgers