Tarik Skubal is finally on the move.
After months of speculation about his long-term status, the Tigers have agreed to deal their ace to the Dodgers.
ESPN’s Jeff Passan reported Saturday night that the Tigers traded Skubal to Los Angeles in exchange for outfielder Zyhir Hope, right-handed pitcher River Ryan and right-handed pitcher Brady Smith.
Skubal now will join the back-to-back World Series champion Dodgers in a rotation featuring Yoshinobu Yamamoto as well as Blake Snell and Tyler Glasnow, who are working their way back from the injured list.
Skubal leaves Detroit as one of the greatest pitchers the franchise has produced in its long history. A ninth-round pick from the 2018 MLB draft out of Seattle University, the California native went on to become baseball’s most dominant left-hander, winning back-to-back American League Cy Young awards in 2024 and ‘25.
This season has been a bit more up and down, but he has rounded into form in July. Skubal missed all of May after undergoing surgery to remove loose bodies from his elbow. Despite that absence, he has still been one of baseball’s best pitchers in 2026. Through 16 starts he’s 7–5 with a 2.79 ERA, 0.91 WHIP, 116 strikeouts and only 14 walks in 96 2/3 innings.
Skubal will be a free agent after this season, making him a pure rental. After failing to agree on a long-term contract extension, the Tigers had to move their ace for a big package while they could. He is currently playing on a one-year deal worth $32 million after winning a record arbitration decision in February. He is expected to garner a record contract for a starting pitcher this offseason.
Tarik Skubal’s career stats
Skubal rapidly ascended through the minor leagues and made his Tigers’ debut in 2020 before making the Opening Day roster in ‘21. He was good as a rookie posting an 8–12 record, with a 4.34 ERA and a 1.26 WHIP. Skubal was better in 2022, but his season ended in mid-August when he underwent flexor tendon surgery on his pitching arm.
He returned on July 4, 2023 and finished the season 7–3 with a 2.80 ERA, 0.90 WHIP and 102 strikeouts in 80 1/3 innings. That dominant finish to the season led to plenty of preseason buzz heading into 2024. He matched every bit of it.
In a breakout campaign that season, Skubal went 18–4 with a 2.39 ERA, 0.92 WHIP and 228 strikeouts against 35 walks in 192 innings. He led all qualified American League pitchers in wins, ERA, FIP (2.49), strikeouts, strikeout rate (30.3%), average fastball velocity (97 mph) and WAR (6.3), while finishing second in WHIP. It wasn’t a surprise when he was a unanimous pick for the Cy Young Award.
Skubal followed that up with another dominant showing in 2025. He went 13–6 with a 2.21 ERA, an MLB-best 0.89 WHIP and 241 strikeouts against 33 walks in 195 1/3 innings. He led all qualified MLB pitchers in walks per nine (1.52) and led all AL pitchers in WAR (6.6). He won the Cy Young Award again, earning 26 of 30 first-place votes.
He has earned his reputation as baseball’s best lefty.
Tarik Skubal’s arsenal
Skubal’s pitch mix is excellent as he possesses four plus offerings, but what separates him is his ability to locate them with pinpoint control. Plenty of pitchers throw 97 mph with good secondary offerings, but what has made him so dominant is the ability to paint corners and bury his pitches when he needs to.
Aside from an electric fastball, Skubal owns one of baseball’s best changeups. Using his last full season as a guide, Skubal’s change is actually his primary pitch. He threw it 60 times more than his four-seamer in 2025, and opposing hitters hit .154 against it, while slugging .227. He earned 110 of his 241 strikeouts on it. It produced an incredible 15 inches of arm-side tail.
His four-seamer typically sits near the top of the strike zone and averaged 97.3 mph last season. Opponents hit .189 against it while slugging .316.
The big lefty also used his sinker about 24% of the time, and it averaged 97.3 mph while adding 13.1 inches of tail to it. Opposing hitters did hit .289 against it with a .456 slugging percentage, which made the pitch his weakest offering last season.
Skubal used his slider 12% of the time in 2025. It was a hard offering that averaged 90 mph and only broke a tight 3.2 inches, but opposing hitters only managed a .298 batting average and .364 slugging percentage off of it. The pitch looks like a fastball out of Skubal’s hand, and against lefties he will let it fall off the outside corner, while it’s a back-foot weapon against righties.
He’ll also mix in an occasional curveball for a different look.
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