How Yankees, Dodgers battle for Tarik Skubal is MLB's trade deadline reward before lockout
How Yankees, Dodgers battle for Tarik Skubal is MLB’s trade deadline reward before lockout originally appeared on The Sporting News.
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ESPN’s Jeff Passan and Kiley McDaniel have set Tarik Skubal’s chances of being traded before the deadline at 85%.
And the two teams they list first as likely destinations: the Los Angeles Dodgers and New York Yankees.
While fans of other teams might not like that, doesn’t that just kind of feel right?
This sport might be in a lockout at some point in the 2026-27 offseason. Before then, let’s have some fun.
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Why Tarik Skubal to Yankees, Dodgers makes sense
The big markets get the big names, and it’s a bummer for everyone else, but there’s also something classic about it.
The Yankees haven’t won a World Series since 2009, and they haven’t won all their recent bidding wars, either. But they were always a contender to get the best players in baseball on their roster, and this pursuit of Skubal feels like that.
The Dodgers are the new-age Yankees, outbidding everyone and landing all the big names.
The fact that these teams get to duel in July for the right to Skubal’s incredible left arm for the season — that’s awesome.
“He is the dream deadline candidate, the sort of ace who can carry a team in the postseason,” the ESPN duo of Passan and McDaniel wrote on Monday. “Whoever lands Skubal will pay an enormous price. Happily.”
The ESPN article also lists the Braves, Brewers, Rays and Blue Jays as possibilities for Skubal, but they’re just a little less glamorous than the Yankees and Dodgers.
There isn’t always a player of Skubal’s level available this time of year.
Since there is, it just feels right that the Bronx and Hollywood have gotten involved.
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