Tarik Skubal Speaks out on Leaving Tigers via Blockbuster Trade

Tarik Skubal has provided insight into the emotions he experienced upon being suddenly traded to the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Skubal, who had been with the Detroit Tigers since 2018, fought back tears while discussing his nine seasons with the team.

Sure, the experience was not perfect, as evidenced by a contract dispute that ended with arbitration. Yet, he clearly enjoyed all of his time playing for the AL Central team.

“I’m very appreciative of all the things the Tigers did for me,” Skubal said. “Drafting me in 2018, giving a kid a chance out of a small school and giving me every resource to use. Everything has always been at my disposal.

“They’ve always had answers and a plan for me, so yeah — I feel like I’ve experienced a lot and gone through a lot of failure early in my career, and this club never stopped believing in me.

“They kept throwing me back out there every fifth day when I probably didn’t deserve it. That’s something I’ll never take for granted.”

The trade happened at an unexpected time for Skubal. He and the Tigers played in a game against the Athletics at the time. He and fellow pitchers Casey Mize, Justin Verlander, and Jack Flaherty all left the field early, but only three returned to the field.

Skubal remained in the clubhouse after receiving the phone call informing him of the trade. The game continued as fans in the stands learned that Skubal would close out the season with the Dodgers.

This trade means that Skubal will fall short of a career goal. He had always intended to bring a World Series to Detroit after the city and the team took a chance on him. He even used two Division Series losses (2024 and 2025) as extra motivation.

He will not get that chance in Detroit, but he will likely play for a championship as a member of the Dodgers.

The Los Angeles-based team already stood out as the favorite to win the World Series, according to Polymarket traders. That will not change now that Skubal is part of the bullpen.

The traders give the Dodgers a 40% chance to win the World Series for the third consecutive season. This makes the team the overwhelming favorites.

The injury-plagued Yankees are second at 10%. The Brewers are third at 9%. The Braves (7%), Red Sox (6%), and Rays (6%) are all drawing attention from traders.

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