Tarik Skubal trade ended up being perfect Dodgers timing, but not for Shohei Ohtani concerns

The Los Angeles Dodgers made a lot of baseball fans inconsolably upset this week by trading for Tarik Skubal. Beyond the tired "they're ruining baseball" arguments, the consensus among other fanbases was that the two-time reigning champions had no need for starting pitching at the trade deadline, and especially not the best one in the league.

On paper, that sentiment is understandable, especially once you factor in the team's deadline-day deal for 2025 All-Star Kris Bubic. A group that theoretically includes Skubal, Bubic, Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Blake Snell, Tyler Glasnow, Shohei Ohtani, Justin Wrobleski, Roki Sasaki, and Eric Lauer isn't wanting for talent or depth.

However, that ignores the reality of the situation. Ohtani is currently dealing with a knee injury and has no firm timeline on a return to the mound. Meanwhile, Bubic joins Snell, Glasnow, and Gavin Stone as rotation options sitting on the 60-day injured list. That's an entire starting five's worth of hurt pitchers.

And now, we have to fold Wrobleski's sudden disappearing act into the mix.

Justin Wrobleski's struggles put even more immediate pressure on Tarik Skubal to thrive with Dodgers

Wrobleski was a deserving All-Star thanks to his 2.69 ERA in the first half, though something has changed over his past couple of starts. After allowing five runs over six innings to a middling Seattle Mariners lineup, the Chicago Cubs just lit him up to the tune of seven runs over 4.1 frames.

The common denominator in both outings has been the long ball, as the southpaws has surrendered a whopping eight home runs. That's after he allowed eight home runs total through his first 106.2 innings of the season.

The Dodgers will work closely with Wrobleski to help iron out these issues, but they don't seem to be centrally located; the Cubs managed eight hard-hit balls on 16 batted-ball events, squaring up nearly every pitch in his arsenal. Maybe this is pitch-tipping issue, but if not, something is clearly broken in his delivery.

These struggles shouldn't last forever, but as long as they do, Skubal will prove even more important than expected to the team. It might be unfair to ask of a newcomer, but he'll have to shoulder the responsibility of being a rotation leader from the moment he makes his debut against the Cubs.

His credentials are well-known by this point, though it's hard to overstate the impact of adding a player with his pedigree to any roster, even one with as much talent as the Dodgers' has. Hopefully, his presence can alleviate the pressure other pitchers might be feeling while covering for so many injured teammates.

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