Translation result.
[MyDaily = Reporter Kim Jin-seong] Could Shohei Ohtani, Tarik Skubal and Yoshinobu Yamamoto form an all-time, fearsome Dodgers one-two-three punch?
Trade chatter linking Tarik Skubal (30, Detroit Tigers) to the Los Angeles Dodgers — which had faded for a time — is heating up again. On May 22 (Korean time), Sporting News suggested the Dodgers could land Skubal and deal a serious blow to the rest of MLB.
Dodgers Nation, a site that follows the team closely, also rated Skubal’s chances of being traded as high that day, though it stopped short of declaring a move to Los Angeles a sure thing. MLB Network’s Jon Heyman laid out on X why Skubal might have little choice but to leave Detroit.
Heyman wrote, “Detroit has lost 14 of its last 16 games and sits five games back in the Wild Card race, at the bottom of its division. Five of its starters are on the injured list. Skubal is recovering from elbow surgery. There’s no realistic path in Detroit to extend his contract.”
Rumors before the season suggested Skubal would eventually wind up in Los Angeles. But Detroit pushed back on that narrative during the winter, adding pieces like Framber Valdez and signaling the front office still hoped to contend — which quieted trade talk for a while.
Still, injuries have piled up and Detroit now sits last in the American League Central at 20-31. They trail first-place Cleveland by 9.5 games, and only the Los Angeles Angels (17-34, .333) have a worse record in the AL. That posture makes Detroit a likely seller at the deadline.
Skubal recently underwent arthroscopic surgery to remove loose bodies from his elbow and has already resumed throwing. The so-called “nanoscope” procedure typically shortens recovery time, and he could be ready as soon as next month. That preserves his value as a trade target. He drew some heat after the March WBC episode, but there’s no question about his on-field ability.
The Dodgers have lost Blake Snell and Tyler Glasnow to injury. Both pitchers have histories of durability issues, and while Glasnow looks closer to a return, Dodgers Nation and Sporting News note the club can’t view Roki Sasaki as a guaranteed fix. Emmet Sheehan also lacks experience in high-leverage postseason assignments. Even with Shohei Ohtani putting up historic numbers, Los Angeles still appears to need a proven ace to shore up the top of a rotation that would pair Ohtani and Yamamoto.
With Snell’s elbow health uncertain and Glasnow’s timeline still cautious, adding Skubal would make the Dodgers’ quest for a third straight World Series title more plausible. Dodgers Nation observed, “When everyone’s healthy, the Dodgers have one of the most unstoppable rotations in MLB. But that hasn’t always been the case. Glasnow, Snell, Gavin Stone and River Ryan have already landed on the IL this season. If Skubal can be fully recovered before the deadline, he could slide into the rotation smoothly.”
With the trade deadline two months away, the probability of a big Dodgers deal has risen. The club might move fast, especially after an underperforming offense and the Padres’ roster upgrades tightened the NL landscape.
If Skubal does end up in Los Angeles, the Dodgers would trot out a divisional powerhouse one-two-three and make a serious run at a World Series three-peat. It will also be worth watching whether the Dodgers offer the post-season-bound Skubal a massive extension when he hits free agency. Expect Detroit to ask for top prospects in return — and don’t rule out a move that sends a fringe roster player like Kim Hye-seong to Detroit.
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