Dodgers Odds to Win Third Straight World Series Shorten After Trade for Tarik Skubal

The Los Angeles Dodgers just got tougher to beat. The two-time defending World Series champions won the MLB trade deadline when they traded for Detroit starting pitcher Tarik Skubal on Saturday.

Skubal has won the last two Cy Young Awards in the American League. His intense performances on the mound show off his tremendous pitching repertoire from the left side.

(Photo courtesy of Getty Images)

Odds for the Dodgers to win the 2026 World Series were +225 entering the MLB season, and that number shortened to as little as +170 this summer. After the Dodgers grabbed Skubal in a headline stunner, the Dodgers To Win the World Series odds are down to +150.

World Series Odds After Tarik Skubal Trade

Odds are from DraftKings Sportsbook:

• LA Dodgers ... +150
• New York Yankees ... +600
• Milwaukee Brewers ... +900
• Atlanta Braves ... +1100
• Tampa Bay Rays ... +1200
• Chicago Cubs ... +1700
• Boston Red Sox ... +1700
• Philadelphia Phillies ... +2000

The Dodgers would become the third franchise to win as many as three consecutive World Series, joining the Yankees (multiple times) and Oakland A's (1972-1974). No National League team has ever won more than two straight championships.

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Why the Dodgers wanted Tarik Skubal

In 2025, Skubal became the 12th pitcher to win as many as two straight Cy Young awards. The big left-hander captured the pitching triple crown in 2024. Over the last three seasons, Skubal ranks in the top three in baseball in ERA, strikeouts, and wins. That dominance is why the Dodgers wanted the southpaw added to their rotation.

The Dodgers also gain an advantage by preventing Skubal from joining a rival pitching staff. In the last two postseasons for Detroit, Skubal has been dominant: 2-1 with a 2.04 ERA with a remarkable 56-to-6 K-to-BB ratio.

But as great as Skubal was the last two seasons for Detroit, the Tigers were just 3-3 in his postseason starts. That could change dramatically when he switches to a Dodgers uniform. Los Angeles has a roster stacked with stars, and it has won seven consecutive postseason series with a combined 24-9 record.

The primary challengers to the Dodgers in the NL are the Brewers and Phillies. If Milwaukee had acquired Skubal, it would have been able to use the southpaw as a complement to flamethrowing righty Jacob Misiorowski, who leads the NL in strikeouts and is on track as the Cy Young favorite.

If the Dodgers face the Phillies for a second straight playoffs, the Phils left-handed bats like Bryce Harper and Kyle Schwarber will have the difficult task of digging in against Skubal, who throws the ball as hard as 100 miles per hour. This season, Skubal's four-seamer is averaging 96.7 MPH, according to Statcast.

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Dodger rotation could be a nightmare for opposition in the postseason

Skubal won't be the only ace the Dodgers can deal in October during the postseason. The staff features the 2025 World Series Most Valuable Player, and another two-time Cy Young award winner. Here's how LA could stack up a rotation in the playoffs:

• Yoshinobu Yamamoto, RHP: 2025 World Series MVP; 2.76 ERA in 2026
• Tarik Skubal, LHP: 2024 and 2025 AL Cy Young Award winner; Triple Crown winner in 2024; 2.79 ERA in 2026
• Blake Snell, LHP: 2018 and 2023 Cy Young award winner
• Tyler Glasnow, RHP: Career 3.27 ERA for Dodgers; 2.72 ERA in 2026
• Shohei Ohtani, RHP: 1.79 ERA in 14 starts in 2026; career 2.83 ERA

Both Snell and  Glasnow are currently rehabbing from arm injuries, but the former All-Stars are expected to be healthy for the playoffs. Of the five pitchers listed above, only Skubal has not pitched in the pressure-packed atmosphere of a World Series.

Why the Tigers traded their ace

You'll notice the Tigers are not included in our DraftKings roll call of teams and World Series odds above in this article. According to DraftKings, Detroit is +15000 to win the next World Series. That's the same as 1500-to-1.

The Tigers entered Sunday only two games out of a wild card spot in the loss column. Yet the front office made the decision to flip Skubal for prospects. Why? The team faced the reality that Skubal was not going to sign a free agent deal to remain a Tiger in the offseason. The best option for the Tigers, a mediocre team with a losing record, was to trade their star for young players.

Detroit received outfield prospect Zyhir Hope, and pitchers River Ryan and Brady Smith. The hope from Detroit is that one, or maybe as many as two of those players ends up being a big factor at the MLB level in the future. Ryan is the only one of that trio who has appeared in the majors.

In modern baseball with six playoff spots in each league, it's now easier to make the postseason than ever. That makes the season more interesting for fans of more teams, which is what MLB wanted. But, it also means difficult decisions for teams on the edge of a playoff spot, like Detroit this year. Sure, the Tigers made valiant runs in each of the last two post-seasons, but they played uneven and barely above .500 baseball in 2024-25. With a losing record and several teams lumped together fighting over a third wild card spot in the AL the Tigers decided it was wiser to get something for the future in exchange for Skubal as opposed to rolling the dice on the chances of squeaking into the playoffs as a 6th seed.

Other teams may add starting pitchers before MLB trade deadline

Other starting pitchers are expected to be traded before Monday's deadline, including Robbie Ray, Casey Mize, Reid Detmers, José Soriano, Clay Holmes, Shane Bieber, Kevin Gausman, and Joe Ryan.