'W' and Dodgers' blockbuster trade! Kept top prospects and secured a two-time Cy Young Award winner... Building the strongest 3-man rotation with Skubal, Yamamoto, and Ohtani

*This content was translated by AI.

The LA Dodgers have made full preparations for a three-peat in the World Series. Two-time Cy Young Award winner Tarik Skubal (30) is joining the Dodgers.

Multiple U.S. media outlets, including ESPN, reported on the 2nd (Korean time) that "the Dodgers acquired Skubal in a 1-for-3 trade sending outfielder Zaher Hopp, right-hander River Ryan, and Brady Smith."

It can be called a blockbuster trade. Skubal is a left-handed pitcher with a fastball reaching up to 103 mph (about 166 km/h) who won the American League (AL) Cy Young Award in both 2024 and 2025, making him an undisputed ace. Even though he missed time this year due to elbow surgery, he recorded 7 wins and 5 losses in 16 games with a 2.79 ERA, striking out 116 batters over 96⅔ innings.

He gained free agency status after the season, and trade rumors circulated steadily from early in the season, but the deal did not materialize easily due to his six-month loan history and elbow surgery record.

Ultimately, the Dodgers, known for excellent player development and rich in prospects, secured Skubal. According to MLB.com, the official website of Major League Baseball, the Dodgers have nine players ranked in the top 100 prospects list; three of them were used in Skubal's six-month loan.

However, they kept their top prospects. The current top prospect for the Dodgers is Joshue De Paula (21), who is rated as having both contact and power hitting abilities and ranks fourth overall in MLB.

Following him are outfielder Mike Sirota (23), ranked 11th overall in MLB and second among Dodgers prospects; outfielder Eduardo Quintero (21), ranked 19th overall and third among Dodgers prospects; and infielder Emil Morales (20), ranked 24th overall and fourth among Dodgers prospects. However, none of these players were included in the Detroit package.

What went to Detroit was outfielder Hopp (ranked 24th overall, fifth among Dodgers prospects), right-hander Ryan (ranked 68th overall, seventh among Dodgers prospects), and right-hander Smith (seventeenth among Dodgers prospects). Only two top-100 prospects were used. While it may be regrettable that Ryan, the team's top pitching prospect, was included, Ryan is already 28 years old and remains in Triple-A, making this trade more akin to a path-clearing deal.

By using only the minimum number of prospects, the Dodgers have built a historic 1-2-3 rotation with Skubal, Yoshinobu Yamamoto, and Shohei Ohtani. Moreover, with ace Shohei Ohtani (28) currently unable to pitch due to a knee injury, Skubal's arrival is like having ten thousand troops at one's disposal.

With Yamamoto posting 11 wins and 6 losses in 19 games with a 2.72 ERA, and Justin Robleski (26) recording 11 wins and 2 losses in 18 games with a 2.88 ERA, the Dodgers can now afford to delay Ohtani's return.

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*This content was translated by AI.