Dodgers may trade for Tigers' Tarik Skubal, but there's a catch

Even in a down year, Tarik Skubal is still one of the most feared hurlers in baseball.

The two-time AL Cy Young winner might be the hottest name in MLB ahead of the Aug. 3 trade deadline, though it might take a haul to get the Detroit Tigers to let him go.

Considering that, Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic believes the Los Angeles Dodgers might be a natural trade partner.

With a new CBA and potential roster-building constraints, the Dodgers might want to go all-in (again) before new regulations hamper their ability to assemble video-game-like rosters. 

The Dodgers might make a run at Tarik Skubal

“Well, if ever there was a team to play on Skubal, it’s the back-to-back World Series champions, attempting a three-peat. The Dodgers are teeming with prospects,” Rosenthal wrote. “The next labor agreement is almost certain to include greater payroll restrictions. Why not go for one last splurge?”

However, this assumes Skubal will even be available. The Tigers play in one of the weakest divisions, and the AL currently has only five teams above .500.

They're just 3.5 games behind in the wild-card race and 6.5 games behind in the division, so Rosenthal believes there's a world where they can still hold onto their ace:

“It will be difficult for the Tigers to justify trading Skubal if they continue to climb, or remain even moderately in contention,” added Rosenthal.

That said, Skubal will still want to get paid at the end of the year, and unless the Tigers are willing to meet his financial aspirations, not trading him would be terrible asset management.