It wasn’t an easy decision for the Detroit Tigers, but it was the only one. The Los Angeles Dodgers have traded for Tarik Skubal, adding yet another ace to a pitching rotation that seems destined for a threepeat in MLB—the first since 2000.
As the 29-year-old starting pitcher leaves the city he called home for his entire MLB career to return to his home state of California, the organization in Motor City posted a farewell message.
“For what you mean to this city. For what you mean to these fans. For what you mean to this team. Thank you, Skub,” the Tigers wrote on a social media post bidding farewell to their longtime starting pitcher.
Skubal is ready for next chapter
Meanwhile, Skubal sent an emotional message to the Tigers and expressed his excitement about joining the Dodgers. Skubal couldn’t hide his excitement as he joins the apex predator in MLB. By adding the former Tigers ace, the Dodgers can make the case that they boast the most dominant pitching rotation in league history.
The Tigers fought all they could, but destiny arrived all the same. With the clock ticking before the MLB trade deadline and the team mired below .500, there was simply no way they could hold on to Skubal. If Detroit did, it would have been in vain, as the ace would have left in free agency after the season.
Just as the Dodgers had the assets to pull off a trade, they also could have handed Skubal a blank check to fill in the zeros. One way or another, Skubal was LA-bound. This way, at least, the Tigers come away with prospects in return.
Skubal’s return to Comerica Park
As the trade has been made official, Skubal and the Dodgers can look ahead to the final stretch of the 2026 campaign. That includes a three-game road series against the Tigers, meaning Skubal already knows when he will return to Motor City.
The Dodgers will be in town from Aug. 28-30, and it’s likely Skubal will start at least one of those games, giving fans one last chance to see him pitch at Comerica Park before the season ends. It will be the first of many, as Detroit fans will have to get used to seeing Skubal in a different uniform.
