Three weeks after the Los Angeles Dodgers landed Tarik Skubal in a blockbuster trade with Detroit, a radio report is stirring things up: according to WFAN host Evan Roberts, president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman has already told manager Dave Roberts exactly how to handle the most dominant pitcher in baseball. If accurate, the message reveals a lot about how LA views this rental — and Skubal’s numbers make the whole thing even more compelling.
The Quote That Started It All
The report surfaced on August 25, 2026, amplified by the Twitter account @Punchoutpitch and attributed to WFAN’s Evan Roberts. According to the post, Friedman told the manager: «Use him and use him hard because he ain’t gonna be here next year.»
A quick reality check: Evan Roberts is a New York sports radio host, not a credentialed Dodgers beat writer. The quote has not been corroborated by any reporter with clubhouse access as of this writing. That said, the report is making the rounds because it fits the logic of the trade almost perfectly — and that’s what gives it legs.
Why the Rumor Makes Sense Even Without Confirmation
On August 2, 2026, the Dodgers paid a real price to get Skubal: outfield prospect Zyhir Hope (the organization’s fifth-best prospect, No. 25 in all of MLB), starter River Ryan (seventh in the system, No. 68 overall), and right-hander Brady Smith. That’s not a throwaway rental price — that’s what a team pays when it needs to win right now.
The issue is the market. Skubal hits free agency after 2026, and projections put him in $300 million-plus territory — potentially approaching the $325 million record the Dodgers themselves handed Yoshinobu Yamamoto. Stacking another arm at that price point, with Tyler Glasnow and Blake Snell already on the books, is a bet most front offices wouldn’t take.
His agent, Scott Boras, hinted at the complexity on August 4, telling The California Post: «There’s nothing like understanding how a franchise works and what your role is in it» — diplomatically acknowledging that two months in Los Angeles could shape his client’s decision. Skubal himself kept it tighter when asked on August 6: «I’m not going to talk about the business side of what’s going on with me. Obviously I understand free agency.»
Multiple outlets — including Sports Illustrated and Yahoo Sports — still list LA as the favorite to retain him. But «favorite» in a Boras negotiation is a pretty relative concept.
Skubal’s Debut and the Bigger Picture
Skubal made his Dodgers debut on August 4 at Wrigley Field: 6 innings, 2 runs, 4 hits, 6 strikeouts, 2 walks — a 5-1 loss. Not the dream introduction, but not a red flag either. The team arrived at that start in the middle of a seven-game losing streak that, for the first time in months, had people questioning the defending champs.
What the WFAN report captures well, confirmed or not, is the Dodgers’ front-office philosophy. Their rotation was already leading the majors in ERA before the acquisition, built around Yamamoto, Snell, Glasnow, and a projected October version of Shohei Ohtani. Skubal wasn’t brought in to save the season — he was brought in to finish it.
