The Los Angeles Dodgers completed a trade for pitcher Tarik Skubal on Saturday night, and the baseball world is not happy about it.
Skubal is a back-to-back American League Cy Young Award winner. The move sharpened existing frustration over the sport's economic structure, with a 2027 lockout now viewed as a real possibility. Owners are pushing for a salary cap—a demand that threatens to disrupt or cancel part or all of the upcoming season.
The numbers make this deal hard to explain away. Every team could afford the $9.4 million remaining on Skubal's contract, yet the Dodgers closed the deal anyway. Scouts and executives questioned why other teams could not outbid Los Angeles' package. Skubal said every team had the opportunity to acquire him.
Los Angeles sent right-hander Brady Smith—their third-round pick in 2023—along with right-hander River Ryan and outfielder Zyhir Hope to the Detroit Tigers. Ryan was originally acquired from the San Diego Padres for outfielder Matt Beaty.
Hope had come to the Dodgers in a separate deal that sent first baseman Michael Busch and pitcher Yency Almonte to the Chicago Cubs. The Cubs returned Hope and pitcher Jackson Ferris, who had limited professional experience at the time of that trade.
The Dodgers' rise to baseball's top tier is worth context. The franchise filed for bankruptcy 15 years ago under previous ownership. Their revenues are vast, but the organization also runs a disciplined operation in scouting, player development and trading.
Two structural advantages stand out. A bankruptcy court settlement with MLB and former owner Frank McCourt allows the Dodgers to withhold a large share of their local television deal from revenue sharing. And Shohei Ohtani's $700 million contract—structured with significant deferrals—frees up payroll flexibility that rivals cannot easily replicate. Ohtani offered that same deferred structure to every team pursuing him in free agency, including his former club, the Los Angeles Angels.
The Dodgers are chasing history. They are trying to become the first team to win three consecutive World Series titles since the New York Yankees did it from 1998 to 2000.
