CHICAGO — The newest ace of the Los Angeles Dodgers officially arrived Sunday night. A day after the biggest trade of the season, Tarik Skubal joined his new teammates in Los Angeles before traveling with the club to Chicago, where he will make his highly anticipated Dodgers debut Tuesday against the Cubs.
Skubal met with the media before Monday's series opener at Wrigley Field, describing the whirlwind of emotions that came with leaving the only organization he had ever known while embracing the opportunity to chase another World Series with baseball's reigning champions.
"I spent eight years with the Detroit Tigers. That place will always be special to me," Skubal said. "But in the same breath, I'm excited to be here. I'm excited to compete with these guys. The entire focus of this organization is on winning championships, and that's my entire focus of playing baseball. So we're very much aligned."
Skubal admitted he sensed a trade was becoming inevitable following his final start with Detroit but said that did not lessen the emotional impact of saying goodbye to teammates he considers close friends.
"I'm not surprised, but it didn't make the news any easier because I love a lot of those guys there," Skubal said. "A lot of those guys are like my best friends on and off the field. I'll be rooting for them unless we're playing them."
The left-hander wasted little time getting acclimated, joining the Dodgers in Los Angeles on Sunday before making the trip to Chicago. He said meeting his new teammates and seeing the excitement inside the clubhouse only reinforced his decision to embrace the move.
"I've always had a ton of respect for this organization," Skubal said. "Watching them win the World Series the last two years has fueled me. Those are the aspirations I want as a player, to be on top and win the last game of the season."
Manager Dave Roberts said the Dodgers are equally eager to hand Skubal the ball Tuesday.
"It's always nice running a starting pitcher like that in your lineup," Roberts said with a smile. "He made me a better manager. Our guys are excited, and we've got to play well behind him."
Skubal headlines a series of roster moves that reshaped the Dodgers following last week's trade deadline.
Catcher Dalton Rushing did not travel with the club after being diagnosed with a mild elbow strain and was placed on the injured list. Roberts said there was no single incident that caused the injury and expressed optimism it would not become a long-term absence.
"We're going to put him on the IL," Roberts said. "It was an elbow strain, mild... I still don't feel that it'll be that long term."
With Rushing sidelined and Will Smith continuing his recovery, the Dodgers reacquired catcher Ben Rortvedt from the New York Mets in exchange for right-handed pitching prospect Chayce McDermott. They also reacquired catcher Hunter Feduccia from the Tampa Bay Rays in exchange for outfielder Jack Suwinski.
"I think given what Ben did for us last year, us knowing him, him knowing a lot of our guys, being more of a guy that's been around for a while, I could see him taking the lion's share for the foreseeable future," Roberts said.
The Dodgers also optioned right-hander Emmet Sheehan to Triple-A Oklahoma City after an inconsistent season in which his mechanics and confidence never fully clicked. Sheehan had reportedly been discussed as part of the Skubal trade package before remaining with the organization.
Roberts, who talked with Dodgers owner Mark Walter on the field pregame, emphasized the move was intended as a reset rather than a punishment.
Dodgers owner Mark Walter is on the field at Wrigley Field talking to Dave Roberts before the Dodgers-Cubs game. pic.twitter.com/49VNkLk0v3
— Arash Markazi (@ArashMarkazi) August 3, 2026
"I think for everyone it's the right thing to do," Roberts said. "It's going to give him a chance to reset, get out of this hot box of performance. We believe in him. We'be shown that year in and year out. He'll start on Saturday in OKC. We just got to get him back to who he is."
The Dodgers also confirmed that Alex Call and left-hander Eric Lauer remained with the club despite trade speculation. Roberts said Lauer will stay in the starting rotation and is scheduled to start Wednesday against the Cubs.
Los Angeles enters the series looking to regain momentum after an uneven stretch, but Roberts believes the deadline additions have strengthened an already talented roster without disrupting the clubhouse chemistry.
"I couldn't be happier with what we've done and didn't do," Roberts said. "Obviously, there was a lot of conversations that were happening. but fo a team that is as talented and as depthy as we are to then just add something that we felt could move the needle and not subtract from our big league club is pretty special."