Dodgers, Tigers finalize blockbuster Tarik Skubal trade with borderline lowball offer

The Los Angeles Dodgers pulled off the inevitable on Saturday night, but it turned out much differently than we'd estimated. Mere minutes after falling to the Boston Red Sox 3-2, LA pulled out the trump card of all trump cards, securing Detroit Tigers ace Tarik Skubal hours after scratching Zyhir Hope from the Double-A Tulsa lineup.

Shohei Ohtani's return to the mound remains in question, and the health of Blake Snell/Tyler Glasnow will be uncertain for the long haul. In an effort to bolster their three-peat bid, the Dodgers didn't merely attempt to fill in depth options, but instead went megalith on the rest of baseball, importing the two-time reigning AL Cy Young winner and likely jumpstarting their free agent pursuit.

The best part? For two months of Skubal, the Dodgers didn't have to plumb their depth or deplete all their Top 100 assets. All they had to do was give up Hope (in a good way), River Ryan, and right-hander Brady Smith, who certainly didn't factor into many expert trade projections.

Projected Dodgers rotation with Tarik Skubal atop it

Skubal will start Game 1 of any playoff series the Dodgers participate in this fall, followed by Yoshinobu Yamamoto, who may statistically be the most terrifying postseason starter of this generation. All-Star Justin Wrobleski, still on the roster (despite Detroit's earlier demands for starters with MLB bonafides), will probably slide to the bullpen in favor of any two of Ohtani, Snell, Glasnow, and Roki Sasaki. It's an embarrassment of riches, one that will flow to the bullpen and help the Dodgers piece together any games that get dicey.

There's no other way to say this: This was way too easy for the Dodgers to pull off, given what's at stake for the Milwaukee Brewers and Tampa Bay Rays, not to mention the league as a whole.

LA was already poised to be the prohibitive favorites. Now, at a meager cost, they've managed to obtain the miraculously cured Skubal after a midseason elbow procedure to solidify their status. In a "down year," Skubal has struck out 116 batters in 96 2/3 innings pitched, surpassing 1,000 Ks with Detroit before departing.

Hey, good luck, Tigers! Ryan turns 28 in a few weeks. Maybe he can rack up half that for you.

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