The Los Angeles Dodgers pulled off the signature move of Major League Baseball's trade deadline, acquiring two-time reigning American League Cy Young winner Tarik Skubal from the Detroit Tigers in a blockbuster that further stacks an already dominant pitching staff as the two-time defending champions chase a third straight title.

Monday's deadline, the busiest day on the baseball calendar, produced 42 trades involving 118 players, according to ESPN, but none matched the Skubal deal for shock value. The Dodgers already led the majors in ERA and run differential entering the deadline with a rotation of Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Blake Snell, Tyler Glasnow and Shohei Ohtani. Adding Skubal, who has won back-to-back AL Cy Young awards, gives Los Angeles arguably the deepest starting five in recent baseball memory.

Prospects Stay Put

Detroit received a three-prospect package built around outfielder Zyhir Hope, the Dodgers' No. 5 farm prospect and MLB's No. 25 overall, along with right-handers River Ryan and Brady Smith. Tigers president of baseball operations Scott Harris used the return to reload for 2027 and beyond, and the club also shipped pitcher Casey Mize to the San Diego Padres the same day. Even after subtracting its ace, Detroit entered deadline week at 50-56 and remains within range of both the AL Central title and the final AL wild-card spot, leaving open the possibility the Tigers make the postseason despite the sell-off.

Notably, the Dodgers landed Skubal while holding onto their deepest outfield prospects, led by Josue De Paula, and keeping young major league arms Emmet Sheehan, Justin Wrobleski and Roki Sasaki, per The Ringer's deadline reporting — a rare case of a team getting the best player available without gutting its farm system.

The trade reignited long-simmering complaints from rival executives and fans about the Dodgers' financial advantages, with some observers renewing calls for a salary cap. Skubal addressed the criticism directly with reporters this week, making clear he isn't interested in apologizing for wanting to join a winner.

The Skubal trade wasn't the only major move on deadline day. The Boston Red Sox made their own splash, acquiring catcher Adley Rutschman from the Baltimore Orioles, while the Chicago Cubs added pitcher Clay Holmes, the Philadelphia Phillies landed infielder Luis Arraez, and the Milwaukee Brewers picked up pitcher Dustin May. The New York Yankees acquired infielder Luis Garcia Jr. from the Washington Nationals in exchange for a four-pitcher package.

With rosters now locked in for the stretch run, contenders across both leagues will spend the next seven weeks finding out whether their deadline additions were enough to close the gap on a Dodgers team that just got significantly harder to beat.