The Detroit Tigers are targeting one of the Los Angeles Dodgers' controllable pitchers.
The Detroit Tigers, who are at the forefront of this year's MLB Trade Deadline, which is set to take place in just 12 days, have laid out their requirements in dealing their two-time Cy Young Award winner Tarik Skubal.
Detroit is looking for a controllable pitcher and a handful of prospects, according to Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic. Among the names that Rosenthal listed, Dodgers right-hander Emmet Sheehan is included.
Sheehan, 26, has not had the most efficient campaign in 2026. In 18 starts, Sheehan has an ERA over five (5.13) in 87.2 innings pitched.
This back-and-forth struggle was apparent during his outing on Monday against the Philadelphia Phillies, where he gave up six earned runs across 5.1 innings on eight hits.
Following the loss, Dodgers manager Dave Roberts highlighted the number of opportunities that the right-hander has had on the mound, which has been the result of key rotation arms down for the count with injuries.
Jul 5, 2026; Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Emmet Sheehan (80) and catcher Eliézer Alfonzo (64) walk off the field at the end of the second inning at Dodger Stadium. -- © Kiyoshi Mio-Imagn Images"Certainly he’s getting a lot of opportunity," Roberts said to Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic. "It’s not the consistency that any of us like or want, Emmet included.
"Until there’s another alternative, we’re going to keep running him out there."
Though Sheehan believed that he was finally figuring it out on the mound heading into the All-Star break, old habits of inconsistent velocity and lack of command seem to die hard with the second half in full gear.
For the Tigers — if they were to deal Skubal — the controllable arm would replace Skubal in the rotation altogether. But the return of top prospects would lessen the blow to a degree.
Jul 18, 2026; Anaheim, California, USA; Detroit Tigers pitcher Tarik Skubal (29) throws against the Los Angeles Angels during the first inning at Angel Stadium. -- © Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn ImagesThe one caveat, as Rosenthal noted, is that Detroit's playoff chances would take a huge hit. Keeping Skubal in their rotation could open the door to a deep playoff run against a not-so-competitive American League.
On the other end, the Dodgers have the resources to acquire Skubal. For this year's deadline, Los Angeles is focusing more on beefing up their already-stacked farm system and is not afraid to trade some pieces from their robust outfield prospects, according to Katie Woo of The Athletic.
The Dodgers have showcased this level of strategy early as they traded a pair of prospects (outfielder Landyn Vidourek and right-hander Nick Frasso) for Colorado Rockies' Seth Halvorsen.
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