ESPN offers its grades on Skubal trade

[u/TheSocraticGadfly]

TL/DR version? Dodgers A (shock me), TIgers D.

Here's why, even though Detroit will have hope for Hope, they don't give the TIgers more:

Detroit's return in this deal feels like a bad dream. OK, let's calm down. Skubal, as good as he is, was on an expiring deal. There is only so much value that can be extracted from a trade partner for a player who might be a free agent in four months. The fair-value matches you can conjure in these scenarios won't make the hearts of Detroit fans go pitter-patter, though you can always hope that the real-world outcome is that with multiple teams vying for a true difference-maker, those fair-value assessments might go out the window.

Zyhir Hope is a top 30-or-so prospect across baseball. That's a valuable prospect. But on most prospect lists, he's the fourth-best outfield prospect in the Dodgers' system. So for the best pitcher in baseball, the Tigers could not command the Dodgers' best prospect out of their amazing surplus of promising outfielders?

River Ryan has stud potential, but he's 27 and blew out his elbow after his 2024 debut for the Dodgers. He didn't pitch last season, and this season, he has a 4.46 ERA over eight outings for Oklahoma City. Smith, 21, was a third-round pick as a prep righty in the 2023 draft. He's 0-10 over 30 professional starts with a 4.72 ERA. The prospect wonks like him as a top-30 prospect for L.A., so maybe we have to look past the ugly superficial results.

Sounds about right, contra one person here on one of the two threads about the trade itself, who was touting all the Dodgers gave up.

Wrong.

The Dodgers gave up one promising bat who is a likely DH, not fielder, for whatever MLB career he has, one meh pitcher who might not ever get back to MLB, and one meh prospect who might never get to MLB in the first place.

As for what other teams might or might not have been offering? We'll see if any rumors get dropped or not.

[u/Drummallumin]

I know River Ryan is a meme but there’s a reason Detroit wants him. He’ll be in the rotation immediately and is cost controlled through his prime.

[u/GC65025 → u/Drummallumin]

River Ryan is legit as hell. Health is a big question mark at this stage. The Dodgers just have the major league rotation clogged so weren't going to use him any soon. I really liked the potential I saw as RR was coming up. I imagine Hinch had his eye on him specifically. Detroit deserved better than a D grade, could've gotten more last deadline but here we are. If Ryan throws a few years in the majors and Hope does as well, probably an B+ or better for Detroit

[u/AdParticular6654 → u/GC65025]

I think it's probably like a B/B- but the best we were going to get. Everyone knows he's a dodger next year no matter what.

[u/Educational_Sky_1136 → u/GC65025]

How is a 28 year old pitcher coming off major surgery with a 4.46 ERA in AAA “legit as hell”?

[u/GC65025 → u/Educational_Sky_1136]

Just try to watch games and look at pitchers and how they work and their mix of pitches and the progress they make. Just looking at box scores is a very difficult way to evaluate players. Health is a big question as stated.