Jason Burgos
A new report proves that if the Los Angeles Dodgers really wanted to make a blockbuster trade for Tarik Skubal this summer, they could easily make the best trade offer in MLB.
Although they have hit some bumps in the road over the first few months of the season as Shohei Ohtani and Kyle Tucker have not had the starts to the year that most expected, to the surprise of no one, the Dodgers own one of the best records in MLB as we near the start of June.
Their 36-20 record is second only to the Atlanta Braves, and they aren’t close to full strength. Yet, even when they get some of their injured stars back, LA’s management is always looking to add to their stacked roster. And there has already been a lot of speculation over the last year that they could target Detroit Tigers ace and two-time Cy Young winner, Tarik Skubal.
A reason why they have been viewed as a contender for the superstar pitcher is that, beyond being able to spend absurd sums in free agency, the Dodgers have developed one of the best minor league systems in baseball over the last few years.
We got more proof of how impressive their farm system is and why they could probably give the Tigers what they want in a Skubal trade. On Thursday, The Athletic’s Keith Law released a major update to his update of the top 50 prospects in MLB right now, and Dodgers youngsters were on the list early and often.
LA Dodgers land six players on Keith Law’s updated top 50 prospects list
Although the Dodgers did not have any players in the top 10, the six players that landed on Law’s list were all in the top 30. Single-A Outfielder Eduardo Quintero was 11th. Two spots behind him was fellow outfielder Josue De Paula. De Paul’s Double-A teammate Mike Sirota was 18th, and right behind at 19 was Triple-A pitcher Rivery Ryan. Outfielder and first baseman James Tibbs III landed at 24, and the last Dodgers prospect on the list was stud Double-A outfielder Zyhir Hope.
The team with the next highest number of players in the top 50 was the Seattle Mariners with three. The Tigers will want quite a few elite prospects in a trade for Skubal, even if he is a rental for the final months of the season. The Dodgers could make an offer that no other team will be willing to, and still have two or three top 50 players left after the deal.
That thought should horrify fans of rival teams tired of seeing LA add more stars to its roster.
