Trade target vs. trade prize: Brewers' Henderson to square off with Dodgers' Skubal

LOS ANGELES – Brewers right-hander Logan Henderson saw Sunday’s pitching matchup at Dodger Stadium and had to chuckle. It isn’t the first time he’s been connected to Dodgers Trade Deadline prize Tarik Skubal.

“It’s funny how that works out,” Henderson said.

It’s no secret that the Brewers made a serious push to pry Skubal from the Tigers at the Deadline and were willing to give up a lot -- including one of their prized shortstop prospects, Luis Peña (Brewers No. 2 prospect, No. 21 overall). And it’s also no secret that many clubs inquired on Henderson, a 24-year-old with a great changeup and a 2.53 ERA through his first 16 starts in the big leagues.

Just how close the Brewers and Tigers were to making a deal, however, depends who you ask. ESPN’s Jeff Passan reported that Henderson was on a short list of controllable players deemed off-limits. And the Tigers wound up trading Skubal to the Dodgers for three top prospects.

So, the two will meet on Sunday afternoon at Dodger Stadium as their teams finish a four-game series.

“It’s pretty cool to go up against him,” Henderson said. “Any time you get an opportunity to go up against a lineup like [the Dodgers’] or a starter like that, it’s a cool opportunity. I’m just trying to go out there and do the same thing I’ve been doing all season. That’s a guy I’ve watched for quite some time now.”

Skubal, of course, had no formal say in where he was traded. The Tigers' decision to accept the Dodgers' package for Skubal over others, like the Brewers' offer, was entirely up to the organization.

"[Detroit president of baseball operations] Scott Harris and I didn’t have any conversations of that sort," Skubal said upon his arrival in L.A. "I really don’t try to get into the business side of things. He made all the decisions."

Skubal has been open about his own emotions since being traded from the Tigers, who drafted him in the ninth round in 2018 and helped him develop into a two-time Cy Young Award winner in the years that followed.

The left-hander had dreamed of helping bring a World Series title to Detroit. Instead, Skubal was dealt to L.A., where he'll have the chance to be a part of something special as the Dodgers bid for a three-peat.

“The entire focus of this organization is on winning championships and that is my entire focus playing baseball so we’re very much aligned,” he said. “I’m ready to go out there and compete and give this organization and city everything that I’ve got."

In Skubal's first two starts as a Dodger, he has allowed five earned runs across 11 innings (4.09 ERA), with 12 strikeouts against four walks. He hasn't had his best command, but has been solid nonetheless. Skubal admitted to feeling some nerves surrounding his pair of team debuts -- his first start as a Dodger and his first start at home -- so perhaps he'll be more settled in his third start since the trade.

Henderson, meanwhile, continued to plug along. The Brewers have split his two starts since the Trade Deadline, including a loss to the Padres earlier on this road trip when Henderson pitched into the seventh inning for the first time in his Major League career. He’s 6-2 with a 2.88 ERA in 11 Brewers starts this year.

When the Trade Deadline came and went and he was still wearing a Brewers uniform, Henderson happened to bump into president of baseball operations Matt Arnold.

“I said, ‘Thank you for not dishing me away,’” Henderson said. “Honestly, I love this team. I had [rumors] sent to me a few times, but it doesn’t carry much weight. It’s a lot of talk. I’m a Brewer, so I’m grateful for that.”