The Los Angeles Dodgers' interest in acquiring Detroit Tigers ace Tarik Skubal has increased due to Shohei Ohtani being unavailable to pitch, reports MLB Network's Jon Morosi.
However, the Dodgers are unlikely to include top prospect Josue De Paula in a deal for Skubal, Morosi adds.
Adding Skubal to the rotation would provide the Dodgers with a solid replacement for Ohtani, whose availability to pitch remains unknown due to knee and biceps soreness that becomes bothersome when he throws.
While Los Angeles doesn't have a glaring need to acquire Skubal, bringing him on would offer the club a better chance at becoming the first team to win three straight World Series since the New York Yankees in 1998-2000.
The Dodgers expect Blake Snell and Tyler Glasnow to return before the end of the regular season, but both of them come with injury concerns. Additionally, Roki Sasaki (4.71 ERA) remains a work in progress, and All-Star Justin Wrobleski has already exceeded his previous major-league high in innings.
On Wednesday, Skubal entered his potential final start as a Tiger with a 2.70 ERA and 11.0 K/9. The pending free agent reached 1,000 career strikeouts during the outing.
