The Los Angeles Dodgers landed Edwin Diaz in free agency, who was the best relief pitcher available. That was a big enough move that the team can justify not making any more big moves this season.
However, this is the Dodgers we’re talking about, and they’re going to make as many big moves as they want. The team has been linked to Detroit Tigers pitcher Tarik Skubal this offseason. He’s won back-to-back Cy Young awards and has cemented himself as arguably the best starting pitcher in baseball.
The only reason the Tigers would consider trading him is the fact that he’s likely to get the biggest contract ever for a pitcher. The Dodgers are one of the few teams that could afford the possible $400 million contract coming to Skubal.
While Los Angeles would likely be happy to add the star pitcher to their rotation, it might be too tricky to pull off. Ken Rosenthal and Katie Woo of The Athletic think it’s a long shot that the Dodgers will actually trade for Skubal.
“Skubal is probably even less likely, considering the return the Tigers would want for their back-to-back American League Cy Young winner, even though he is under club control for only one more season,” Rosenthal and Woo wrote.
“The Dodgers don’t particularly need Skubal. Their rotation, at first glance, appears to be an embarrassment of riches, particularly with young pitchers Gavin Stone, River Ryan and Kyle Hurt set to return from injuries.”
Never Count the Dodgers Out
The Dodgers don’t need to trade for Skubal. They already have the best rotation of starting pitchers in MLB. That said, the team wants to win a third-straight World Series. Having arguably the two best starting pitchers in baseball (Skubal and Yoshinobu Yamamoto) would make that a lot easier to achieve.
If the Dodgers want Skubal, it’s going to cost. The Tigers aren’t going to let their star pitcher go for nothing. Not only do the Dodgers have to put together an appealing trade package, but they also need to pay Skubal. If he doesn’t get traded or sign a contract extension in Detroit, the Dodgers could always try again next year.
Andrew Friedman Not Ruling Out More Signings
The Dodgers already had a massive payroll heading into the offseason, but that hasn’t stopped them from spending in the past. President of baseball operations Andrew Friedman spares no expense.
He admitted that the Dodgers are still open to signing more players in free agency.
“I would say we definitely can,” Friedman said, via The Athletic. “Whether that makes the most sense within the timing of our roster — there are so many factors that go into it, and any decision you make has a future cost. Weighing that — yes, we can. How likely it is is probably another question.”
It remains to be seen who the additional free agent signings could be. Kyle Tucker has been talked about a lot, but he’s going to be pricey. The Dodgers could prefer smaller moves going forward unless a really good player comes along and is interested.
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