Dodgers Tarik Skubal Trade Rumors Grow Around Andrew Friedman
Dodgers tarik skubal trade rumors intensified over the weekend as MLB reporters said the Los Angeles Dodgers could try to acquire Tarik Skubal before the trade deadline. The chatter centers on a two-time Cy Young winner who is on the injured list with arm surgery and is set to reach free agency after the 2026 season.
Andrew Friedman and the Dodgers
The Dodgers have spent the last several seasons acting like a team that never stops shopping, even after winning titles. They have captured 12 division titles in 13 seasons and won the World Series in 2020, 2024 and 2025, then kept adding by signing Blake Snell, Tanner Scott, Michael Conforto and Roki Sasaki after the 2024 season.
That appetite did not stop there. After Scott and Sasaki struggled, the Dodgers signed Edwin Diaz and replaced Michael Conforto with Kyle Tucker, leaving them with another deep roster and a half-game lead over the San Diego Padres a third of the way through the 2026 season. Robert Murray added that Dodgers president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman could go out and get him.
Tarik Skubal and Detroit
Skubal fits the kind of target that can reset a market. The 29-year-old left-hander is on the injured list after arm surgery, but his profile remains intact because he is a 2-time Cy Young winner and will be in line for free agency after the 2026 season.
Detroit’s side of the picture has pushed the speculation louder. The Tigers are 10 games back of the Cleveland Guardians, have lost seven straight games and are 1-9 in their last 10, while ranking 27th out of 30 teams offensively, per Fangraphs. They also added Framber Valdez, brought back Gleyber Torres, signed Kenley Jansen and took a flier on Justin Verlander, yet the record has still made Skubal the name drawing the most attention.
Bob Nightengale’s warning
Bob Nightengale put the market pressure into one line posted over the weekend on: “The question is not when Detroit Tigers 2-time Cy Young winner Tarik Skubal will return, but how long he will actually remain a Tiger when he does return.” That is where the story sits now: a pitcher with top-end value, a team with championship ambitions, and a Detroit club sliding far enough back that the rumors have moved from speculation to a real trade conversation.
