Dodgers Seek Blockbuster Trade ‘Loaded with Top Prospects’ for Cy Young Favorite

The Los Angeles Dodgers went into the season with the potential of a truly fearsome playoff rotation, acquiring Tyler Glasnow via trade, signing Yoshinobu Yamamoto to a record-setting deal and anticipating the returns of Clayton Kershaw, Dustin May and others.

But the first half of the season has cast serious doubt about whether the Dodgers have the starting staff to drive a deep playoff run. Glasnow and Yamamoto both sit on the injured list, May has been ruled out for the season and Kershaw is a major question mark as he works his way back from shoulder surgery. As a result, the Dodgers are looking for reinforcement at the trade deadline, and they reportedly are pursuing a blockbuster trade with the Detroit Tigers for American League Cy Young Award favorite Tarik Skubal.

“The Los Angeles Dodgers and Baltimore Orioles, two first-place teams who know they are not October ready, have the same name at the top of their shopping list: left-handed ace Tarik Skubal of the Detroit Tigers,” per Tom Verducci . “Sources from the Dodgers and Orioles confirmed they are interested in putting together packages loaded with top prospects for Skubal.”

MLB Network’s Jon Morosi recently reported that the Orioles could be the only team able to put together a compelling enough trade package to land Skubal, an All-Star who has two more years of arbitration eligibility ahead on his contract. But the Dodgers have a similarly elite farm system, and if they’re willing to draw heavily from it, might be able to convince the Tigers to accelerate a rebuild by relinquishing their ace.

Related: Orioles a ‘Compelling’ Trade Destination for Cy Young Favorite, per Insider

“As disinclined as (Tigers president of baseball operations Scott) Harris may be to trade Skubal, imagine Harris stoking a bidding war between the Dodgers and Orioles,” Verducci added. “As one talent evaluator put it when it comes to the needs of the Dodgers and Orioles at the deadline: ‘There are some teams who are under a ton of pressure to win.’”

Ultimately, the Dodgers would have to leverage the top portion of their farm system to secure Skubal. They have two players within MLB’s top 100 prospects: catcher Dalton Rushing and outfielder Josue De Paula. Rushing in particular could headline a compelling package, as the Dodgers seem relatively set with Will Smith as their backstop.

A lack of starting pitching depth seems like one of the only things that could derail the Dodgers’ World Series aspirations, and if they are desperate to reinforce it with one of the best pitchers in baseball, there might not be much they are unwilling to part with.

“The Dodgers are particularly desperate to add depth to their pitching lineup due to injuries to key players like Walker Buehler and Tyler Glasnow, alongside Shohei Ohtani’s inability to pitch this season,” William Frost wrote for Tigers Fastball . “As the deadline nears, the potential availability of Skubal and the offers that might come from interested teams will be crucial developments to watch, potentially impacting the playoff landscape.”

Related: Dodgers Projected to Land MLB Strikeout Leader in Blockbuster Trade

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