Dodgers get exciting Tarik Skubal trade deadline claim from ex-MLB GM

The Los Angeles Dodgers are heading towards the 2026 MLB trade deadline without any clear needs. They have a great lineup and don't really need to upgrade much there.

Looking at the bullpen, they have some great options, not even including the injured Edwin Diaz. The starting rotation is the same. That's why the Dodgers believe their trade deadline need is to simply "just get healthy."

But, even with such a deadline belief, former MLB general manager Jim Bowden of The Athletic doesn't want to count out the Dodgers just yet for a potential Tarik Skubal trade. It might not be likely, but this is an exciting deadline claim for Dodgers fans.

Ex-MLB GM claims Dodgers shouldn't be counted out in Tarik Skubal trade

"When I reached out to the Dodgers, they responded, 'Just get healthy,' and I'm actually in agreement. They really have no obvious needs," Bowden writes. "If they can get Blake Snell, Tyler Glasnow, and Edwin Diaz all back at some point, they still have the best team in the sport. However, don't count them out if the Tigers deal Tarik Skubal."

The Dodgers might not have any obvious trade deadline needs, and it might be a quiet trade deadline due to Los Angeles hoping to see their players get healthy.

But if the Detroit Tigers decide to trade Skubal if they collapse from now until the August 3 trade deadline, then the Dodgers are a natural fit.

In pursuit of a three-peat, the Dodgers are one of the few teams that could afford a massive price tag in a trade for Skubal with their strong farm system, and some great trade chips already in the big leagues.

MORE: Tarik Skubal being traded by Tigers would help him in free agency

Emmet Sheehan and Justin Wrobleski would make sense to part with in a deal for Skubal, and with a good farm system, they wouldn't be too hurt by sending some top prospects the Tigers' way in a deal.

This claim from Bowden, that fans shouldn't count out the Dodgers just yet in a Skubal trade despite not having the same dire need at the deadline that other teams might have, is a very exciting one for the Dodgers fanbase.

They might not need to add Skubal, but if they could trade for the back-to-back Cy Young winner, the Dodgers would easily have MLB's best rotation and become clearer World Series favorites in 2026.

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