Dodgers get Tarik Skubal prediction that could make trade look like a mistake

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Dodgers get Tarik Skubal prediction that could make trade look like a mistake originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

The Los Angeles Dodgers, the overwhelming World Series favorites coming into the regular season, traded for the reigning back-to-back Cy Young winner from the American League in Tarik Skubal at the MLB trade deadline.

The rich just got richer. While the Dodgers have gone on a losing streak after adding Skubal, this is still a top-tier club that has a clear path to the World Series. And beyond 2026, this team should be in serious play for long-term success.

However, Kerry Miller of Bleacher Report predicted that the Dodgers wouldn't keep Skubal, losing him to the New York Mets in free agency, in a prediction that could turn this Skubal blockbuster into a big mistake.

Dodgers get Tarik Skubal free agent Mets prediction that could make trade a big mistake​

"Most likely, though, it'll be Steve Cohen's checkbook winning this one," Miller predicts. "Prediction: 6 years, $280M with the New York Mets.:

This prediction from Miller would mean that the Dodgers lost their newly acquired Cy Young-winning ace in free agency to the Mets on a six-year, $280M deal.

That's a $46.6M APY for Skubal, which would be tricky for the Dodgers to match, though only if a salary cap were to be implemented in MLB.

But if the Dodgers were to lose Skubal, regardless of the dollar amount that he signs for, then their major blockbuster deal could be looked back on as a mistake.

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That is, if they don't win the World Series. If the Dodgers three-peat, and Skubal plays a huge role, then it wouldn't matter what he does in free agency, or what the three prospects they gave up would do for the Detroit Tigers. The Skubal trade would be a win for L.A.

However, there is a very realistic scenario where the Dodgers don't win the World Series, lose Skubal in free agency (whether it's to the Mets, like Miller predicts, or some other club), and one or multiple of those prospects given up to the Tigers turns into a star.

If Zyhir Hope, River Ryan, or Brady Smith can become an All-Star caliber player on a cheap contract for the next five-to-six seasons, and the Dodgers didn't win their third title in as many years while losing Skubal in free agency, this trade could look very different.

MORE: Tigers feared Tarik Skubal’s trade market would disappear if they waited too long to trade him

It's still incredibly early to worry about such a future, but with the Dodgers currently spiraling, losing seven games in a row, and eight of their last 10, it's easy to slip into doom-and-gloom mode as a fan.

Dodgers fans shouldn't panic, as there's a chance they win the title in 2026, re-sign Skubal, and the prospects they gave up to land him don't thrive with the Tigers.

But this prediction from Miller would be one step towards their blockbuster Skubal trade becoming a total disaster. It might not be likely for the deal to age so poorly, but it's one realistic path that Dodgers fans should be cognizant of as the year rolls along.

More MLB news:​

• Phillies receive slightly worrying 65% playoff odds projection from ESPN
• Red Sox get 8.2% chance to win World Series, which is more than Yankees’ odds
• Ex-MLB GM wishes Braves had traded 22-year-old RHP prospect for Orioles' All-Star Trevor Rogers
• Dave Dombrowski reveals why Phillies didn't trade for a righty-hitting outfielder
• Brewers ‘toyed’ with idea of trading for Padres closer Mason Miller

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