Dodgers predicted to trade for 4.03 ERA Angels lefty if they miss on Tarik Skubal

Dodgers predicted to trade for 4.03 ERA Angels lefty if they miss on Tarik Skubal originally appeared on The Sporting News.
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The Los Angeles Dodgers are going to buy at the MLB trade deadline, and they could wind up adding to their catching depth chart, the outfield or the infield. But their main need is in the starting rotation.

Just about every insider has the Dodgers as the favorites to acquire Tarik Skubal from the Detroit Tigers. But, what would they do if Skubal gets dealt to a different team?

Well, David Schoenfield of ESPN is predicting that if the Dodgers miss out on Skubal, they’ll link up with the Los Angeles Angels for 4.03 ERA left-hander Reid Detmers as a backup plan at the deadline.

Dodgers predicted to acquire Reid Detmers as backup plan if they miss on Tarik Skubal

“Angels trade Reid Detmers to Dodgers,” Schoenfield predicts. “Detmers won’t be easy to pry away from the Angels since he’s under team control for two more years, and the Dodgers and Angels haven’t made a significant trade since Andrew Heaney was traded for Howie Kendrick in 2014, but the Dodgers have the prospects the Angels need.”

The Dodgers should be able to convince just about any team to give up a player with their incredibly strong farm system, and a Major League roster that could be traded from as well.

Skubal is a realistic option, but if they can’t land him, Schoenfield is predicting Detmers would be their fallback plan at the 2026 trade deadline.

Detmers, the 4.03 ERA left-handed starter who is 27 years old and under club control through the 2028 season, would make a ton of sense for the Dodgers.

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He has high upside as a starter, and his 3.35 FIP. His 3.12 FIP a year ago is also a sign that he could be a lot better than his ERA currently indicates.

Plus, unlike Skubal, who will hit free agency after 2026 and likely have the Dodgers as a top landing spot, Detmers would be under club control for the next two seasons.

Landing Detmers wouldn’t preclude the Dodgers from signing Skubal as a free agent. So, there’s a scenario where they miss out on Skubal as a rental this season, but still land a good starter in Detmers, while then signing Skubal long-term.

This prediction, while it has the Dodgers missing out on Skubal, the prize of the 2026 MLB trade deadline, Detmers would be a lot better than a typical consolation prize as a high-upside, young, controllable lefty.

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