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The Dodgers could have a package of players to acquire Tarik Skubal from the Detroit Tigers.
The Los Angeles Dodgers are the two-time reigning champs, whose strength is arguably their starting rotation.
But the Dodgers have never shied away from making their team better, as MLB insider Jim Bowden of The Athletic pointed out. That’s why he floated a potential trade package headlined by either Emmet Sheehan or Tyler Glasnow to acquire Detroit Tigers ace and two-time reigning AL Cy Young winner Tarik Skubal.
Skubal is set to enter the final year of team control and is represented by super agent Scott Boras. The Tigers have reached the postseason in consecutive seasons, falling in the ALDS in five games each year, and have reportedly flirted with potentially maxing Skubal’s value by dealing him this offseason.
The Dodgers Would Need To Trade At Least Two Major League-Ready Pitchers To Land Tarik Skubal
To land great players, you need to trade good young players. With that in mind, Bowden floated a package of Sheehan, Justin Wrobleski, Jackson Ferris and Zyhir Hope to Detroit for Skubal.
Sheehan was the Dodgers’ No. 5 starting pitcher in 2025, finishing second on the team in ERA (2.82) behind only Yoshinobu Yamamoto in 12 starts. He finished with a 6-3 record in 73 1/3 innings and struck out 89 and walked only 22.
Wrobleski was largely used as a reliever is season but projects as a left-handed starter. He was 5-5 with a 4.32 ERA and had two saves in 24 games but made two starts too.
“Los Angeles could offer two major-league ready starting pitchers in Sheehan and Wrobleski, and a third pitcher in Ferris who’s getting closer to being major-league ready,” Bowden wrote. “Sheehan and Wrobleski have already cut their teeth at the major-league level, even getting important innings during the postseason. Sheehan was especially impressive with the Dodgers this year.”
Ferris will turn 22 on Jan. 15, also throws left-handed and was ranked as the No. 71 preseason prospect according to MLB Pipeline. He went 10-7 with a 4.21 ERA in 26 games, 24 starts, with 135 strikeouts in 126 innings for Double-A Tulsa last year.
That’s a costly package of young pitching, especially for only one guaranteed year of Skubal. But Hope is also a top-100 prospect — Baseball Prospectus had him ranked No. 8 — who will turn just 21 in January and hits left-handed and can play all three outfield positions. Bowden even referenced him as the highest-ceiling player named.
“Hope has the highest ceiling among this group,” Bowden wrote. “He’s at least two years away from the major leagues, but he reached Double A at the end of the season and has above-average on-base skills to go along with a power-and-speed combination at the plate and a strong glove in center field.”
Jim Bowden Also Floated Replacing Emmet Sheehan With Tyler Glasnow In A Tarik Skubal Trade
As if the four-player package wasn’t enough, Bowden also opened the door for LA to deal hard-throwing right-handed starter Tyler Glasnow to Detroit to headline the Skubal deal.
“Another idea would be to substitute Tyler Glasnow for Sheehan in the deal,” Bowden wrote. “This would give the Tigers a top-of-the-rotation starter to replace Skubal, and they would control Glasnow for three more years.”
Dealing Glasnow might be more advantageous for the Dodgers, since he is six years older than Sheehan and has just 33 more major-league wins than the 26-year-old. Glasnow has been brittle too, boasting a 13-9 record with a 3.37 ERA in just 40 starts over two seasons since LA acquired him from the Tampa Bay Rays on Dec. 16, 2023.
“Glasnow does not have a no-trade clause with the Dodgers and has $94 million remaining on his contract if the team-half of the 2028 mutual option is exercised,” Bowden wrote.
Pat Pickens is an experienced sports writer and media personality who has written for outlets like NHL.com, the Associated Press, the New York Times and USA Today. He covers the NFL, NBA, NHL and NBA as a breaking news contributor at Heavy. More about Pat Pickens
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