Tarik Skubal Says 'I Don't Sympathize' With People Who Complain About Dodgers After Deadline Trade

Tarik Skubal isn't interested in hearing from anyone who has an issue with the Los Angeles Dodgers being aggressive in ways that allow them to acquire many star players.

Speaking to reporters for the first time since being traded to the Dodgers, Skubal explained, "I don't sympathize with people" who blame them for anything they have done in their attempts to win.

"Every team could trade for me," he said. "I don't sympathize with people that blame the Dodgers for anything they've done. It's a winning org…I really don't sympathize with people that are complaining because the Dodgers do all the right things."

One of the arguments MLB is trying to make for a salary cap in the ongoing CBA discussions with the MLBPA is the vast payroll disparity between a team like the Dodgers at the top and small-market clubs at the bottom.

It's a strategy that appears to be resonating with fans since surveys conducted show they favor a cap system.

There's no denying that the Dodgers spend aggressively in a way that no other organization in MLB does. They have spent at least $328 million just on free-agent contracts every offseason since the end of the 2023 season.

Their list of signees during that span includes Shohei Ohtani, Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Blake Snell, Tanner Scott, Kyle Tucker and Edwin Díaz.

One key difference with Skubal, which he pointed out, is those other players had free agency to pick where they went. He was a player under contract and the Detroit Tigers could deal him wherever they chose because he didn't have a no-trade clause.

The Dodgers weren't the only team interested in Skubal. He was connected, at least to some degree, to the New York Yankees, Chicago Cubs, Tampa Bay Rays, Milwaukee Brewers, Philadelphia Phillies and Atlanta Braves prior to the deal with Los Angeles coming together.

It's also worth remembering simply spending money doesn't guarantee success. The Dodgers don't even have the highest payroll in MLB this season. That distinction belongs to the New York Mets, whose $321 million investment in their roster has them 1.5 games ahead of the Colorado Rockies for the NL's worst record.

Other teams with top-10 payrolls that currently have losing records include the Toronto Blue Jays (No. 5) and Tigers (No. 10).

The Dodgers are being blamed for having a great roster that they have assembled under MLB rules, plus the best farm system in the sport even though they haven't picked higher than No. 20 in any draft since 2013.

Los Angeles used that farm system to acquire Skubal for prospects Zyhir Hope, River Ryan and Brady Smith.

The Athletics were facing a grievance after the 2024 season from the MLBPA for failing to spend the required amount relative to how much they were receiving in local revenue sharing, so they signed Luis Severino as a free agent and extended Lawrence Butler and Brent Rooker.

Just using these two specific situations, the one that would seem to be bad for the sport is not a Dodgers team that keeps making moves to increase their chances of winning a World Series for the third consecutive year.