The Detroit Tigers had a very disappointing 2026 MLB season. Coming into the year, the Tigers were supposed to be postseason contenders, and there was hope they'd be able to make a run in what could've been Tarik Skubal's last year with the team.

However, they struggled once Skubal went down with an elbow injury and fell far enough out of the playoff race that the Tigers decided to sell, shipping Skubal out in a deal with the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Trading Skubal was not a very popular decision, but now, following the Dodgers' NLCS elimination and the report from ESPN's Alden Gonzalez, the Tigers appear to be the clear winners of this Skubal trade.

Tigers are winners of Tarik Skubal trade with Dodgers

Gonzalez shared that, with the looming MLB lockout on December 1, "it would be really difficult for the Dodgers to justify signing Skubal to a massive deal before knowing what MLB's economic model will look like."

So, with the Dodgers facing an uncertain future regarding how MLB payrolls work, the Dodgers might have to refrain from signing Skubal to a long-term deal. That means he might be leaving the Dodgers in free agency.

Skubal might sign elsewhere, and a return to the Tigers could be in play. They do need starting pitching, and it would be quite the move to sign Skubal to an extension and also get the huge trade package for him at the MLB trade deadline that they got from the Dodgers.

Zyhir Hope, Brady Smith, and River Ryan were the three players the Tigers got from the Dodgers in the Skubal trade. If even one of them were to turn into a quality big-leaguer, it wouldn't matter what Skubal does in free agency; it would be a win.

MORE: How Mets could have advantage over Dodgers in free-agent pursuit of Tarik Skubal

But, adding on the context that the Dodgers might not have the means to sign Skubal to an extension, they would've gotten just two-and-a-half months out of Skubal, failing to make the World Series, let alone winning a game in the NLCS.

The Dodgers spent a fortune to acquire Skubal from the Tigers, and now he might leave the team after the Dodgers came up well short on their quest to three-peat as World Series champions.

One thing should be clear following the NLCS loss for the Dodgers. Regardless of what happens with Skubal in free agency, the Tigers clearly won this trade.

It might not have been a popular one for the fans at the time, but it was clearly the right decision, especially with the Dodgers failing to win the World Series in 2026.

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