Phillies’ Star Slugger Knocks Tigers For Trading Tarik Skubal To Dodgers

PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA - JULY 20: Kyle Schwarber #12 of the Philadelphia Phillies looks connected against the Los Angeles Dodgers astatine Citizens Bank Park connected July 20, 2026 successful Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The Phillies defeated the Dodgers 10-7. (Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images)

Getty Images

As Major League Baseball's waste and acquisition deadline reshaped the postseason landscape, nary move was much consequential than the Los Angeles Dodgers' blockbuster acquisition of reigning American League Cy Young victor Tarik Skubal.

The woody instantly strengthened a rotation that was already considered among baseball's deepest and shifted moreover much attraction toward the Dodgers' title aspirations and juggernaut march toward a 3rd consecutive title.

Around the league, however, immoderate different prima players weren’t awkward astir questioning the move, peculiarly arsenic the Detroit Tigers seemed to springiness up connected their ain title hopes to boost those of the odds-on favorite.

ForbesBrewers Skipper Sends 4-Word Dodgers Message After Blockbuster Tarik Skubal TradeBy Peter Chawaga

Philadelphia Phillies Star Kyle Schwarber Questions Detroit Tigers' Decision To Trade Tarik Skubal

Among those expressing astonishment was Philadelphia Phillies slugger Kyle Schwarber, who questioned Detroit's title aspirations aft the decision.

“It’s a small shocking pinch (the Tigers) being still successful it,” Schwarber said, according to The Philadelphia Inquirer’s Scott Lauber. “That was the weird point to me. Maybe they conscionable cognize thing that nary of america cognize and they conscionable wanted to do something. I conjecture it was what they thought was the champion quote-unquote deal.”

Schwarber's comments echoed the guidance of galore astir baseball, peculiarly because the Tigers were still viewed arsenic morganatic contenders erstwhile they completed the blockbuster. But they seemed peculiarly noteworthy coming from a personnel of the Phillies, who will beryllium looking to dethrone the Dodgers this season, moreover aft the Tigers’ trade.

On Monday, news surfaced that they had made their ain blockbuster upgrade by acquiring infielder Luis Arraez from the San Francisco Giants.

Philadelphia Phillies Face Added Pressure After Los Angeles Dodgers Trade

While Schwarber questioned Detroit's committedness to winning a title , Philadelphia entered the deadline nether sizeable unit to amended its ain roster.

“The Phillies mightiness beryllium the astir intriguing squad because of their caller freefall,” Buster Olney wrote for ESPN soon earlier the deadline passed. “Would they beryllium truthful bold to make a move for a amended protect shortstop and push Trea Turner to the outfield? Especially pinch the (Bryce) Harper-David Dombrowski dynamic, location is simply a batch of unit connected the Philadelphia beforehand agency to beryllium bold — astatine a clip erstwhile the squad is connected the verge of dropping retired of a playoff spot.”

That backdrop helps explicate why the squad felt it needed a big-time summation for illustration Arraez, and it besides helped explicate why the Skubal waste and acquisition resonated pinch Schwarber. For contenders for illustration the Phillies, different ace joining an already loaded Dodgers rotation makes a difficult situation moreover harder, nary matter really the Phillies effort to reply it.