New prediction about Tarik Skubal trade should be music to Guardians’ fans ears

There’s no pitcher in the modern MLB who is more dominant than Tarik Skubal. 

After being a bit of a middling starter through his first three seasons in MLB, Skubal authored a breakout (yet truncated) 2023 season (2.80 ERA in 80 1/3 innings) that made it seem like he could be a solid middle-of-the-rotation option for the Tigers for years to come. 

And then his 2024 season happened where he had rode an American League-leading 2.39 ERA to a Cy Young win. Then came last season where he was arguably even better (2.21 ERA in 195 1/3 innings) and won his second straight American League Cy Young. 

And most of that ascension came at the expense of the Guardians, as Skubal has a career 2.33 ERA against the Guardians along with turning in starts of 7+ innings against the Guardians in back-to-back postseasons. 

But he’s also an impending free agent, which has led to plenty of rumors and scuttlebutt about whether or not the Tigers will trade him at some point in the next seven months as opposed to letting him walk for nothing. 

While it seems like the ship has sailed in regard to him being traded this offseason, the focus seems to have shifted to if the July trade deadline could be the moment he leaves the Tigers’ roster. On Friday, ESPN’s team of baseball writers put out a story focusing on their bold predictions for the 2026 season, where writer Jesse Rogers wrote a prediction that should make every Guardians fan smile: Skubal is traded to the Los Angeles Dodgers. 

“They can even afford to trade for Skubal as a rental if the move leads them to a third straight championship, whereas just about any other team would need to immediately sign him to a long-term deal in order to justify giving up the prospects it will undoubtedly take to land a back-to-back Cy Young Award winner. If the Tigers fall out of the race, L.A. simply makes too much sense as a landing spot for Skubal — that is assuming he’s not traded in the coming weeks,” Rogers wrote. 

Tarik Skubal may not be in the Guardians’ way for much longer 

While a potential trade of Skubal to the two-time defending champion Dodgers would undoubtedly result in plenty of pearl-clutching about the rich getting even richer, it would be a great thing for the Guardians given that it means they wouldn’t have to worry about Skubal for the second half of the 2026 season. 

Earlier this offseason, MLB insider Jon Heyman reported Skubal, who is entering his final year of arbitration, and the Tigers were $250 million apart in extension talks. While there’s been some mixed messages about Skubal’s  future in recent weeks, it seems like they’re clearly listening to offers on the 29-year-old. 

It makes sense the Dodgers would be at the top of the list for potential Skubal suitors given they’re one of the few teams in baseball that has no concerns about spending money while also having the amount of prospect capital needed to pry Skubal away from the Tigers. 

The Dodgers were reportedly interested in Steven Kwan last trade deadline and were at least considering giving up some of their top prospects for him. Skubal’s potential asking price would likely be much more than that, even if he’s a rental. 

Skubal has been utterly dominant against the Guardians in the time since he made his MLB debut, so any world where he’s out of the American League Central (and potentially the American League as a whole), would be a clear win for the Guardians — even if it would make the Dodgers that much better.