Dodgers insider shuts down continued Tarik Skubal speculation even as Tigers wobble

The Los Angeles Dodgers are easily the best team in the National League, and the Detroit Tigers have been one of the season's early disappointments. It's early, but the stage is seemingly set for the pipe-dream scenario Dodgers fans had during the offseason; the Tigers will be bad, forced to sell Tarik Skubal at the trade deadline, and LA would be the clear fit.

It's a pretty simple scenario, but even now, it's not rooted in much logic. The Athletic's Fabian Ardaya (subscription required) was once again forced to answer the Skubal question, and he had a blunt response.

"It would be a stunning slap in the fans’ face to see the Tigers entertain moving Skubal in the middle of a season in which they appear to be in contention, even if they believe Skubal would walk in free agency."

As Ardaya points out, even with the slow start the Tigers have had, they still have strong odds of reaching the playoffs. And, to be clear, Detroit is .538 on the season, tied with the Cleveland Guardians for first place in the American League Central (entering play on Friday). It's far too early to zero in on standings as a conversation starter for the MLB trade deadline.

Dodgers insider tells fans to slow their role on continued Tarik Skubal trade excitement

It hasn't been a great start for Detroit, but it hasn't been disastrous to the extent that the Tigers are mapping out a scenario where they are trading Skubal later this summer. With the aggressive additions of Framber Valdez and Justin Verlander, it was a clear indication that the Tigers are going to leave no stone unturned in what's potentially Skubal's final season in Detroit. Doing all of that just to trade him at the start of August would be a PR nightmare.

Short of the floor falling out from underneath the Tigers in the months ahead, there's no reason to believe that Skubal will be available on the trade market.

In other words, patience. The Dodgers certainly are going to have an opportunity to recruit Skubal to LA, but it will likely come this offseason. And, to be honest, that may be the preferred scenario. Sure, the Dodgers have the prospects to pry Skubal away from the Tigers, but if all it takes is money to get him this winter, that's certainly the preferred method.

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