Story perspectives

Dodgers Target Tigers Lefty Tarik Skubal Before Deadline

7/31/2026

Summary

Story summary

Dodgers are pursuing Tigers left-hander Tarik Skubal before the Aug 3 deadline.
Alden Gonzalez said executives view the Dodgers as favorites to acquire Skubal.
Jon Morosi said interest grew because Shohei Ohtani’s pitching is uncertain.
Andrew Friedman said the club always joins star-player talks and has been aggressive at past deadlines.

History

Historical Context

The 1975 Seitz decision, ruled by arbitrator Peter Seitz, granted free agency to pitchers Andy Messersmith and Dave McNally, reshaping baseball labor relations. MLB and the Players Association negotiated a new collective-bargaining agreement that raised player salaries by roughly 30 percent within three seasons. That precedent fuels today’s Dodgers pursuit of left-hander Tarik Skubal, as executives like Alden Gonzalez and Andrew Friedman cite aggressive deadline tactics reminiscent of post-free-agency strategies. Consequently, clubs now allocate multimillion-dollar budgets toward deadline acquisitions, reinforcing a market where star-player negotiations dominate roster construction.

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Story summary

Dodgers are pursuing Tigers left-hander Tarik Skubal before the Aug 3 deadline.
Alden Gonzalez said executives view the Dodgers as favorites to acquire Skubal.
Jon Morosi said interest grew because Shohei Ohtani’s pitching is uncertain.
Andrew Friedman said the club always joins star-player talks and has been aggressive at past deadlines.

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