Dodgers Acquire Tarik Skubal
LOS ANGELES – The Los Angeles Dodgers have acquired two-time Cy Young Award winner Tarik Skubal from the Detroit Tigers in exchange for outfielder Zyhir Hope and right-handed pitchers River Ryan and Brady Smith.
Skubal, 29, is 7-5 with a 2.79 ERA in 16 starts this season. In his last start against the Orioles, he fanned six batters in 6.2 innings, recording his 1,000th-career strikeout in the first inning against Taylor Ward. He missed part of the 2026 season to remove loose bodies from his throwing elbow, and he is 4-3 with a 2.87 ERA and 71 strikeouts in 53.1 innings since returning from the injured list.
The southpaw won his first of two Cy Youngs in 2024, going 18-4 with a 2.39 ERA in 31 games for the Tigers. He won the American League Pitchers Triple Crown, leading the league in wins, ERA and strikeouts. He also led the league in fWAR (6.7), ERA+ (174), FIP (2.49) and finished seventh in the MVP voting, leading all non-position players with 93 total votes.
He backed his 2024 season with his second straight Cy Young campaign in 2025, beating Red Sox pitcher Garret Crochet and Astros pitcher Hunter Brown for the award. He became the first repeat AL Cy Young winner since Pedro Martinez (1999-2000) and joined Denny McLain as the only pitcher in franchise to win multiple Cy Youngs with Detroit. He finished his campaign with a 13-6 record and a 2.21 ERA with 241 strikeouts in 195.1 innings. He led the league in fWAR (6.4), ERA, ERA+ (187), FIP (2.45), walks per nine (1.52) and WHIP (0.891).
The two-time All-Star has been in the Major Leagues seven seasons, posting a 61-42 record with a 3.04 ERA in 153 games (150 starts). He has 1,005 strikeouts in 863.1 innings while owning a 1.012 WHIP. He was drafted by the Tigers in the ninth round of the 2018 First Year Player Draft out of the University of Seattle.
Hope, 21, hit .293 with 23 homers and 87 RBI in 94 games with Double-A Tulsa this year. He split the season between High-A Great Lakes and Double-A Tulsa in 2025, slashing .266/.376/.428 with 13 homers and 80 RBI. He has been with the Dodgers since 2024 after getting traded along with left-handed pitcher Jackson Ferris from the Cubs organization in exchange for infielder Michael Busch and right-handed pitcher Yency Almonte. He has played in 294 minor league games, clubbing 48 homers and driving in 212. He was an 11th round pick in the 2023 First Year Player Draft out of Colonial Forge High School (Va.).
Ryan, 27, made his Major League debut in 2024, appearing in four games with the Dodgers before season-ending elbow surgery. He went 1-0 with a 1.33 ERA with 18 strikeouts in 20.1 innings. In his five minor league seasons with the Dodgers, he went 6-12 with a 3.43 ERA and 255 strikeouts in 212.2 innings. He was acquired by the Dodgers on March 28, 2022 from the Padres in exchange for infielder/outfielder Matt Beaty.
Smith, 21, split the season between Low-A Ontario and High-A Great Lakes, going 0-7 with a 4.36 ERA and 113 strikeouts in 74.1 innings. He has been in the Dodgers organization two seasons, going 0-10 with a 4.72 ERA and 142 strikeouts in 95.1 innings. He was drafted in the third round of the 2023 First Year Player Draft out of Grainger High School (Tn.)
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