Tarik Skubal trade would officially make Dodgers most hated team in MLB

If a chase for Tarik Skubal actually turns into something more than talk, the Dodgers have some very stiff competition over in Baltimore. The Orioles, also rumored to be interested in him, have the best farm system in baseball, and MLB-ready top prospects right at the top of their pipeline.

The Tigers would never accept anything less than the absolute best from either team.Jackson Holliday could be just a starting point in Tigers-Orioles trade talks, and the Dodgers might have to offer a higher quantity of prospects than the Orioles in order to overwhelm Baltimore's quality.

Skubal would be an even bigger prize for the Dodgers than White Sox ace Garrett Crochet. Both are lefties at the top of their game, but Skubal has been even better than Crochet this season and has a longer history of starting.

He'd also fulfill a desperate need for the Dodgers: a dominant lefty starter. James Paxton was supposed to be the lefty in the rotation, but his recent blowups, on top of three new starter injuries and a demotion for Bobby Miller, have left the Dodgers desperate while waiting to see what version of Clayton Kershaw shows up this season.

LA could be willing to do the unthinkable for Skubal. If they do manage to get him, they'd solidify their status as the most detested team in baseball, but for all of the best reasons.

A potential Dodgers victory in Tigers-Tarik Skubal chase would make them more hate-able than ever

Tyler Glasnow and Kershaw are expected to return to the Dodgers as soon as Monday, restoring some balance to the rotation. Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Walker Buehler are bigger question marks, but at least having a 2024 All-Star and a three-time Cy Young winner available again will staunch the bleeding until the trade deadline on July 30.

But let's just think about all of those names for a second. Glasnow, Kershaw, Yamamoto, Buehler, potentially Skubal. Buehler was disappointing after he returned from injury (the first time), but he's still a two-time All-Star and two-time top-10 Cy Young finisher. Glasnow, Kershaw, and Yamamoto are worth a collective $31.7 million this season and have a mountain of accolades on top. Adding Skubal, who's bound to win the Cy Young for Detroit if he stays there, to that list for the end of the year when Yamamoto and Buehler return? That's an almost unfathomable level of excellence.

The Dodgers have reportedly intensified their chase of Crochet, who would also be a fantastic and jealousy-inducing addition to the rotation. Getting Skubal, though — that would send every other fanbase off the deep end.