The Los Angeles Dodgers have won back-to-back World Series titles, and then addressed the weakest link of their roster, their bullpen, by signing the best closer in baseball, Edwin Diaz, to a three-year deal. Moves like these are why 29 of the 30 MLB fan bases just can't stand the Dodgers. They stop at nothing to win, and by signing Diaz, they've positioned themselves to pull off the three-peat.
As if that isn't bad enough, it sounds as if the Dodgers are nowhere near done this winter. According to ESPN's Alden Gonzalez, the Dodgers "would not be opposed" to moving Tyler Glasnow. If that's true, the rest of MLB should be terrified, knowing who could be his replacement.
Why the Dodgers trading Tyler Glasnow is the worst thing MLB fans can root for
On the surface, the Dodgers trading Glasnow, a starting pitcher with ace upside, sounds like a good thing for the teams that root against them. Sure, Glasnow has durability concerns, but when he's on the mound, he's incredibly tough to square up. He might only be the No. 4 starter in a loaded Dodgers' rotation, but he'd lead many other staffs around the league.
As great as Glasnow is, though, he isn't the best pitcher in the game. Trading Glasnow and his combined $60 million over the next two seasons, plus an option in 2028, would not only give the Dodgers more money to play with, but it'd create a vacancy to add a rotation upgrade.
There aren't many pitchers in the game who'd represent a clear upgrade over Glasnow, especially among those realistically attainable. With that, what if the Dodgers traded him and replaced him with the clearest possible upgrade, Tarik Skubal? Yes, there's a non-zero chance of that happening.
How the Dodgers can trade for Tarik Skubal
If the Dodgers weren't the favorites to acquire Skubal before, they certainly should be seen as favorites now. Not only do the Dodgers have the prospect capital necessary to acquire Skubal, but by making Glasnow available, they can either flip him to a third team to acquire more assets or trade him to the Tigers, giving them an ace with some control in exchange for Skubal.
Trading two or three years of an All-Star starter for only one guaranteed year of the best one might not sound like the smartest business for most teams, but most teams aren't the Dodgers. The Dodgers are a team that can afford to trade an All-Star talent like Glasnow, knowing he's their fourth starter, and use him to acquire the best pitcher on the planet.
Sure, other teams are able to offer Detroit high-end prospect packages, but who has a pitcher of Glasnow's caliber to spare? That might be what sways Scott Harris to send Skubal to Hollywood.
What a Dodgers trade for Tarik Skubal could look like
If the Dodgers truly want Skubal and are prepared to blow them and the field away, here's what a deal can look like:
Who is beating this package? Glasnow is a proven frontline starter when healthy, who might not be as good as Skubal, but again, he's as good a big league arm as they can get. Emmet Sheehan has shown immense upside in his brief big league career. Alex Freeland is a big league-ready infield prospect, and Zyhir Hope, in my opinion, has more upside than any Dodgers' prospect.
What's crazy about this deal is the Dodgers can do this without breaking a sweat. Again, Skubal can simply replace Glasnow and be an upgrade in their rotation. Sheehan would be tough to lose, but the Dodgers are due to get guys like Gavin Stone and River Ryan back from injuries, and both of them are more than capable of providing depth. Hope is one of three high-end outfield prospects the Dodgers have, so it's not as if they'd be out of luck there, and Freeland doesn't have a spot on the Dodgers' roster.
Trading Tyler Glasnow makes the Dodgers clear Tarik Skubal favorites
It's no guarantee that Skubal will get traded, but if he is, the Dodgers have to be seen as the favorites. They had the prospect capital to get a deal done without Glasnow, but if Glasnow is a trade piece, woof.
Again, the package is just too juicy for Detroit, a team without much of a chance of keeping Skubal around long-term, to turn down, and it's too hefty for a competing team to match. The odds of a team matching what the Dodgers could do prospect-wise are slim due to his expiring contract, and adding Glasnow makes the offer just that much better.
Skubal's expiring status limited his market already, and the Dodgers, a team that was always going to have a great shot at acquiring the two-time Cy Young award winner, have as good a shot as ever of acquiring him.
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