DODGERS LAND CY YOUNG ACE TARIK SKUBAL IN A BLOCKBUSTER DEADLINE DEAL
WEST SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — The Los Angeles Dodgers have acquired the biggest prize on the trade deadline market, getting two-time reigning AL Cy Young Award winner Tarik Skubal from the Detroit Tigers on Saturday night.
Skubal got the news during the Tigers’ 8-6 win over the Athletics and was emotional after the game as he prepared to leave the team that drafted him in 2018 and developed him into a star to join the two-time defending World Series champions.
“I’m excited to be a Dodger,” he said. “I’m excited to get down there and meet all those guys and chase three championships in a row. That’s hard to do, so I’m so excited to a part of that. But it’s a lot of different emotions. Definitely kind of a roller coaster a little bit.”
Skubal is the latest star to join the high-priced roster for the Dodgers that already has big-name players like Shohei Ohtani, Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Mookie Betts. If everyone is healthy, he could be part of a rotation with Ohtani, reigning World Series MVP Yamamoto, fellow two-time Cy Young Award winner Blake Snell and Tyler Glasnow. The Dodgers lead the majors with a 3.36 ERA from their starting pitchers and now add Skubal to the mix.
The Dodgers are in first place in the NL West and were already the favorites to become the first team to three-peat since the New York Yankees from 1998-2000 before adding Skubal. They began the season with a $323.3 million opening-day payroll for their 40-man roster and a $163.7 million tax for a $487.1 million total. They will pay Skubal about $9.5 million for the remainder of the season.
ESPN first reported the deal and said the Tigers would receive three minor league prospects in right-handers River Ryan and Brady Smith and outfielder Zyhir Hope.
Skubal is eligible for free agency after the World Series. He has a $32 million salary, a record total in arbitration, after the team offered $19 million, and is expected to sign a massive contract in the offseason.
The 29-year-old lefty said in July that it was his preference to finish the season with the Tigers and to compete for a World Series championship, which has eluded the franchise since 1984. Skubal took the loss in the decisive Game 5 of the division series against Cleveland in 2024 and then got a no-decision in a 15-inning loss to Seattle in Game 5 of the division series last year.
He said it was “very tough” to leave the Tigers having fallen short of the goal of winning a title.
“Ever since that ’24 Game 5, the failure that I experienced on the mound, I’ve used that as fuel to try and bring a World Series to the city of Detroit. I truly did,” he said. “That whole offseason I’ve never been more motivated and then go in and we lose Game 5 again. That failure kind of sparks some more motivation, just to dig deeper and see how good you can truly be. The goal was always to win a World Series for the city, for the organization that took a chance on me. It’s tough. I love all those guys in there. They’re some of my best friends.”
Detroit planned to contend again this season, bolstering the Skubal-led rotation by giving two-time All-Star pitcher Framber Valdez a $115 million, three-year contract in free agency and retaining three-time All-Star infielder Gleyber Torres with a $22 million deal.
The Tigers, though, got off to a rough start and are currently 2 1/2 games out of the last wild-card spot in the American League.
“It’s crazy. Going into the season, this isn’t what I planned on doing,” Skubal said. “But circumstances change, situations change, and I’m very appreciative of everything the Tigers have done for me.”
They bounced back in June and most of July to get into playoff contention with Skubal leading a rotation and three All-Stars in the lineup: rookie infielder Kevin McGonigle, catcher Dillon Dingler and outfielder Riley Greene.
With a chance to possibly persuade management to keep Skubal by improving its playoff positioning, Detroit lost ground by dropping four of its last five games at home, including Skubal’s last start that was made even more memorable by a late-inning collapse.
The Tigers led Baltimore 7-0 after six innings Wednesday and lost 10-9 in 12 innings. Skubal started the game, recorded his 1,000th career strikeout and was cheered at every opportunity by a crowd of 34,406.
“I’ve watched this guy rise to the top of the sport,” manager A.J. Hinch said. “He’s carried us a lot. I’ll forever be grateful that our paths crossed and the things that he did for this organization and for a couple of playoff teams. His presence, his work ethic, his example, his dominance. There’s so much to go through, it’s hard to capture in one quote or kind of one setting. But I’m very grateful that I was able to manage him for the time that I did.”
Skubal is 7-5 this season with a 2.79 ERA and 116 strikeouts in 96 2/3 innings. He is 61-42 with a 3.04 ERA over seven seasons, all in Detroit. In two postseasons, Skubal is 2-1 with a 2.04 ERA in six starts.
Skubal had a minimally invasive surgery on May 6 to remove a loose body from his pitching elbow and returned to pitch on June 13.
“The way the surgery went is exactly how it was supposed to go,” he said in July.
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REPORT: PIRATES ACQUIRE RHP CAMILO DOVAL FROM YANKEES
The Pittsburgh Pirates are acquiring right-handed reliever Camilo Doval from the New York Yankees in exchange for two prospects, ESPN reported Saturday.
Doval, 29, is 3-1 with one save and a 4.54 ERA in 44 appearances out of the New York bullpen this season.
The Yankees acquired the former All-Star closer in a deal with the San Francisco Giants at last year’s trade deadline.
Doval is 29-20 with 109 saves and a 3.53 ERA in 341 career games (no starts) with the Giants (2021-25) and Yankees.
According to Cuba-based BeisbolFR.com, the Yankees will receive catcher Omar Alfonzo and outfielder Luis Cruz in the deal. Both were playing for the Pirates’ Dominican Summer League affiliate.
The MLB trade deadline is Monday at 6 p.m. ET.
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BREWERS ACQUIRE C BO NAYLOR, RHP CODI HEUER FROM GUARDIANS
The Milwaukee Brewers acquired catcher Bo Naylor and right-hander Codi Heuer from the Cleveland Guardians on Saturday in exchange for outfielder Blake Perkins and right-hander Craig Yoho.
The move comes two days before the major-league trade deadline on Monday (6 p.m. ET).
Naylor, 26, is batting just .143 with two homers and seven RBIs in 28 games this season for the Guardians.
He is a career .199 hitter with 40 homers and 125 RBIs in 346 games since being selected by Cleveland with the 29th overall pick of the 2018 MLB Draft.MLB news
Heuer, 30, is 0-1 with a 4.66 ERA in eight relief appearances this season.
He is 10-5 with three saves and a 3.76 ERA in 97 career appearances with five different teams.
Perkins, 29, is batting .157 with one homer and 11 RBIs in 55 games this season.
He is a career .223 hitter with 14 homers and 93 RBIs in 297 games with the Brewers
Yoho, 26, is 2-0 with a 3.15 ERA in 15 appearances this season.
He has the same record with a 4.40 ERA since being selected by Milwaukee in the eighth round of the 2023 MLB Draft.
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REPORT: RED SOX, REDS DISCUSSED DE LA CRUZ TRADE
The Boston Red Sox are big-game hunting before Monday’s trade deadline.
The Red Sox talked to the Cincinnati Reds about star shortstop Elly De La Cruz, according to MassLive’s Sean McAdam.
However, Boston wasn’t willing to include pieces from its major-league roster to make a deal, reports McAdam.
The Red Sox offered a package focused on prospects for De La Cruz, a source told McAdam.
The Reds reportedly aren’t trying to move the 24-year-old but are willing to discuss the two-time All-Star with clubs that might be open to their high price.
De La Cruz is under team control through 2029. He’s arbitration-eligible for the first time in 2027.
Boston has reportedly approached the Houston Astros about Jeremy Peña, Los Angeles Angles in regards to Zach Neto, and Miami Marlins for Otto Lopez.
The Red Sox are believed to be looking for a shortstop. Andruw Monasterio is currently manning the position with Trevor Story sidelined.
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TORONTO (AP) — Kevin Gausman pitched 5 2/3 innings for his first win since May 22, George Springer had two hits and drove in a pair, and the Toronto Blue Jays beat the St. Louis Cardinals 5-1 on Saturday.
The slumping Cardinals have lost three straight and eight of 10. They’ve scored three runs or fewer in each of their past seven games.
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SEATTLE (AP) — Randy Arozarena scored in the ninth inning on Cal Raleigh’s groundout to first base, and the Seattle Mariners snapped a three-game losing streak with a 4-3 victory over the Minnesota Twins on Saturday.
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NEW YORK (AP) — Javier Sanoja and Griffin Conine homered to power the Miami Marlins to a 6-2 victory over the New York Mets on Saturday.
Liam Hicks had a pair of RBI singles for the Marlins, who entered Saturday 1 1/2 games behind the Philadelphia Phillies for the final National League playoff spot. Otto Lopez lofted a sacrifice fly and scored twice.
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ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) — Drew Rasmussen struck out 10 in six strong innings and Nick Fortes drove in the game’s only run as the Tampa Bay Rays beat the Chicago White Sox 1-0 Saturday.
Bryan Baker recorded his American League-leading 31st save of the season, converting his 20th consecutive opportunity by retiring Chicago’s third, fourth and fifth hitters in the ninth.
Rasmussen (10-5) allowed four hits, all singles, and gave up one walk. Only two baserunners advanced past first base for Chicago, which had its three-game winning streak halted.
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CINCINNATI (AP) — Braxton Ashcraft gave up two hits over five innings, while a pair of bases-loaded walks during a three-run third helped the Pittsburgh Pirates snap a four-game losing streak with a 4-1 victory over the Cincinnati Reds on Saturday night.
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BALTIMORE (AP) — Cristopher Sánchez struck out 11 in six innings, helping the Philadelphia Phillies snap their four-game losing streak with a 5-0 win over the Baltimore Orioles on Saturday night.
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HOUSTON (AP) — Taylor Trammell had two RBIs and Christian Walker added two hits and drove in a run to help give the Houston Astros a 5-4 victory over the Texas Rangers Saturday night that increased their lead in the AL West.
It’s the fifth straight victory for the Astros and their 10th in 11 games that has propelled them to a 1 1/2-game lead over the Rangers atop the division.
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ATLANTA (AP) — Martín Pérez held Washington hitless until the seventh inning, Ronald Acuña Jr., Matt Olson and Dominic Smith hit home runs, and the Atlanta Braves beat the Nationals 8-3 on Saturday night, their third straight win in the series.
Pérez (7-6) started in place of Reynaldo López, who was scratched 35 minutes before the game with left knee inflammation.
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CHICAGO (AP) — Pete Crow-Armstrong drove in the go-ahead run with a seventh-inning triple and scored twice as the Chicago Cubs evened their series with the New York Yankees with a 5-2 win on Saturday night.
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CLEVELAND (AP) — Geraldo Perdomo and Corbin Carroll homered during a seven-run seventh inning, and the Arizona Diamondbacks beat the Cleveland Guardians 12-8 on Saturday night for their fourth straight victory.
Perdomo also had the fourth four-hit game of his six-year career and drove in three runs for the Diamondbacks, who hold the second wild-card spot in the National League. The shortstop is 6 for 10 with four RBIs in the first two games of the series.
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DENVER (AP) — Hunter Goodman homered twice, had two singles and drove in five runs in the Colorado Rockies’ 12-6 victory over the Kansas City Royals on Saturday night.
The victory was Colorado’s 44th of the season, eclipsing last year’s total with 51 games remaining.
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SAN DIEGO (AP) — Jake Cronenworth singled in Xander Bogaerts with two outs in the ninth inning and the San Diego Padres beat the San Francisco Giants 6-5 on Saturday night for their seventh win in eight games.
The Padres remained a game back of the third NL wild-card spot.
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LOS ANGELES (AP) — Andruw Monasterio hit a ground-rule double to lead off the eighth and scored the go-ahead run on Connor Wong’s double-play grounder as the streaking Boston Red Sox edged the Los Angeles Dodgers 3-2 on Saturday night.
The Red Sox have won four straight, including the first two games of the series against the Dodgers. The Red Sox 13-3 since the All-Star break and 22-4 since the start of July.
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ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) — Brice Turang had a go-ahead RBI single in the eighth inning and the Milwaukee Brewers finished off a 3-1 victory over the Los Angeles Angels on Saturday night.
The Brewers won for the fifth time in their past seven games and moved past the Los Angeles Dodgers for the best record in the major leagues at 69-41.
Jake Bauers hit a home run and left-hander Robert Gasser gave up one run over five innings, while right-hander Chad Patrick (6-4) went two scoreless innings to pick up the win. Trevor Megill pitched the ninth for his 18th save.
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WEST SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — Max Clark homered on his second night in the big leagues and the Detroit Tigers beat the Athletics 8-6 on Saturday night before trading star pitcher Tarik Skubal to the Los Angeles Dodgers.
After the game, the Dodgers acquired the biggest prize on the trade deadline market, getting two-time reigning AL Cy Young Award winner Skubal for three minor league prospects.
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