MLB trade deadline 2026: Tarik Skubal to Dodgers, Freddy Peralta to Rays with a day to go
Two-time Cy Young Award winner Tarik Skubal is on the move to the Los Angeles Dodgers, giving the two-time defending champions even more talent on a loaded roster.
Right-hander Freddy Peralta is switching teams, too, as the Tampa Bay Rays beef up their rotation.
Major League Baseball's trade deadline is 6 p.m. Monday, and two of the biggest pitching prizes — Skubal and Peralta — are already off the board. But other enticing options still remain, including San Diego Padres closer Mason Miller, San Francisco Giants second baseman Luis Arraez and Toronto Blue Jays outfielder Daulton Varsho.
In other recent moves, the surprising Chicago White Sox picked up right-hander Luis Castillo in a deal with the Seattle Mariners, and the Atlanta Braves acquired outfielder Lane Thomas from the Kansas City Royals.
Skubal is the latest star to join the high-priced roster for the Dodgers that already has big-name players like Shohei Ohtani, Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Mookie Betts.
If everyone is healthy, he could be part of a rotation with Ohtani, reigning World Series MVP Yamamoto, fellow two-time Cy Young Award winner Blake Snell and Tyler Glasnow. The Dodgers led the majors with a 3.36 ERA from their starting pitchers going into Sunday's games.
“I’m excited to be a Dodger,” an emotional Skubal said Saturday night. “I’m excited to get down there and meet all those guys and chase three championships in a row. That’s hard to do, so I’m so excited to a part of that. But it’s a lot of different emotions. Definitely kind of a roller coaster a little bit.”
The Tigers received three minor league prospects in right-handers River Ryan and Brady Smith and outfielder Zyhir Hope.
Skubal is 7-5 this season with a 2.79 ERA and 116 strikeouts in 96 2/3 innings. He is 61-42 with a 3.04 ERA over seven seasons, all in Detroit. In two postseasons, Skubal is 2-1 with a 2.04 ERA in six starts.
The last-place New York Mets agreed to trade Peralta to the Rays for three minor leaguers.
Peralta, a two-time All-Star who can become a free agent following the World Series, has been a disappointment with the Mets after they acquired him from Milwaukee in a January trade. But he could boost the middle of a strong rotation for the pitching-rich Rays, who began the day with the best record in the American League at 65-45 and a 3 1/2-game lead in the American League East over the New York Yankees.
New York will receive outfielder Aidan Smith, infielder Emilien Pitre and right-hander Gary Gill Hill in exchange for Peralta.
Also Saturday night, the Mariners traded right-hander Castillo to the White Sox in exchange for right-hander Seranthony Domínguez, outfielder Nolan Jones and catching prospect Boston Smith and cash considerations.
The struggling Mariners, who are four games below .500 and trail the Houston Astros by three games in the AL West, elected to part ways with one of their longest tenured players.
The White Sox, meanwhile, lead the AL Central by 2 1/2 games with a 58-52 record.
Castillo, 33, is under contract through the 2027 season with a vesting option for 2028. He is 3-9 with 86 strikeouts and a 5.06 ERA across 99 2/3 innings.
