Imagn Images / Via Reuters
The Tigers finally pulled the trigger.
After months of speculation, rumors, and fans bracing themselves, Detroit sent Tarik Skubal to the Dodgers before the trade deadline in exchange for outfielder Zyhir Hope and right-handers River Ryan and Brady Smith.
The move had been expected for months given Skubal’s impending free agency, but that didn’t make it sting any less for a fan base watching its two-time reigning AL Cy Young Award winner walk out the door.
The immediate reaction across baseball was predictable. The Dodgers, already loaded with Shohei Ohtani, Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Blake Snell, Tyler Glasnow, and Justin Wrobleski, added the best starting pitcher available on the market without giving up a player from their roster.
That’s a massive win for Los Angeles—there’s no debating that.
The conversation after a trade like this usually ends with the same conclusion: the team that dealt away the superstar got fleeced.
But let’s take a step back and look at the bigger picture.
History isn’t kind to teams that trade franchise cornerstones. Ace pitchers on expiring contracts are routinely dealt for lottery-ticket prospects who never sniff the major leagues. That’s the baseline when evaluating any blockbuster involving a two-time Cy Young Award winner.
Detroit didn’t get that kind of return.
Instead, the Tigers landed Zyhir Hope, a 21-year-old outfielder who immediately became the organization’s No. 2 prospect according to MLB Pipeline. They also acquired River Ryan, who slots in as Detroit’s fifth-ranked prospect, and Brady Smith, who ranks No. 14.
Two of the three prospects were ranked inside the Dodgers’ top 10 before the trade, while Hope is already viewed as one of baseball’s Top 100 prospects. For a generational ace on an expiring deal, that’s about as strong a return as recent history suggests a team could realistically expect.
Hope is the centerpiece of this trade, and for good reason.
At Double-A Tulsa this season, the 21-year-old hit .293 with an .899 OPS over 94 games while compiling 23 home runs, 17 doubles, and 18 stolen bases. That’s the profile of a legitimate five-tool player.
Scouts already view Hope as a future middle-of-the-order bat with All-Star potential, and he is likely to reach the majors soon. If his development continues on its current trajectory, Detroit may have landed another cornerstone player to pair with its emerging young core.
Ryan is easily the most fascinating piece of this trade.
He’s about to turn 28, which is older for a prospect, and injuries have limited him to just four major league appearances in 2024. However, when he was on the mound, he was outstanding, posting a 1.33 ERA.
The injury concerns are real and shouldn’t be ignored. But neither should the talent.
Detroit moved on from Casey Mize after years of hoping he’d develop into the frontline starter many envisioned. For the most part, it never came together.
Now the Tigers have an opportunity to take a chance on another talented arm that a different organization was willing to part with. No one expects Ryan to become Tarik Skubal. That’s an impossible standard. But if he can produce quality innings and tap into even a fraction of his potential, this portion of the trade could look much better in hindsight.
Smith rounds out the package as Detroit’s 14th-ranked prospect.
The 21-year-old doesn’t possess the same upside as Hope or the professional experience Ryan brings, but scouts still like his long-term potential. He’s more of a developmental project, and that’s perfectly acceptable.
Every successful farm system needs players like Smith, even if they aren’t the headliners.
It’s also worth remembering that Detroit already possessed one of baseball’s better farm systems before making this trade.
Shortstop Bryce Rainer, currently at Single-A, ranks as the Tigers’ third-best prospect and is viewed as one of the organization’s premier young talents. Add Hope, Ryan, and Smith to that pipeline, and Detroit’s future suddenly looks even deeper.
This is where the “Tigers got fleeced” narrative starts to fall apart.
Detroit is 54-58 and sits 5.5 games behind the White Sox in the AL Central, but that record doesn’t fully capture how talented the organization’s young core has become.
Riley Greene continues to establish himself as one of baseball’s premier young outfielders. 21-year-old Max Clark has arrived.
Kevin McGonigle is making a solid start as a rookie. Spencer Torkelson has become a key player. Colt Keith is still developing, and Dillon Dingler is still improving behind the plate.
Now add Hope to that mix.
Suddenly, Detroit has the foundation for one of baseball’s most exciting young lineups over the coming seasons. The Tigers also aren’t asking these young players to figure everything out.
Veterans Javier Báez and Gleyber Torres provide leadership in the clubhouse, while Framber Valdez and Kenley Jansen can mentor Ryan and Smith as they continue their professional development.
Say what you want about Detroit’s recent struggles, but there appears to be a legitimate plan in place—and that’s more than many rebuilding organizations can say.
None of this diminishes what Los Angeles accomplished.
The Dodgers didn’t need these prospects. Their philosophy has always been to acquire established superstars, and Skubal fits that blueprint perfectly.
He joins a rotation featuring Roki Sasaki, Shohei Ohtani, Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Blake Snell, Tyler Glasnow, and Justin Wrobleski. That’s arguably one of the most talented pitching staffs baseball has seen in years. Anything short of a third consecutive World Series championship would disappoint.
The Dodgers won this trade. That much isn’t up for debate.
But framing it as a simple winner-and-loser scenario ignores what Detroit actually accomplished. The Tigers traded a pending free agent and received one of the strongest prospect packages realistically available in the market.
Could they have kept Skubal and offered him a record-breaking contract? Absolutely. There’s a legitimate argument that they should have, especially considering how close they were in the standings.
But if ownership had already decided that a trade was inevitable, Detroit extracted a return that provides the organization a legitimate opportunity to build something sustainable for years to come.
It’s a hot take, no doubt.
But before you write off Detroit’s return as just another disappointing chapter in the Tigers’ history, give Zyhir Hope, River Ryan, and Brady Smith time to develop.
This story is far from finished.
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