Dave Roberts addressed the completed trade for Tarik Skubal during a press conference on August 1, 2026, describing the deal and its impact on the Los Angeles Dodgers rotation and clubhouse.
Roberts said he first learned the trade was close to finalized before medical details were sorted out. "I heard that it was pretty much done, but there's obviously things that have to go on with medical," he said. Roberts noted he had spoken with Skubal the night before after Skubal's team played in Sacramento, and recalled meeting him briefly at an All-Star Game a couple of years earlier.
Roberts called the rotation, assuming health holds up, as good as any he has seen. "This is as good as I've seen," he said. He credited the front office and the organization's farm system depth for making the trade possible, noting the Dodgers still have arguably one of the top two or three farm systems in baseball even after the deal. Roberts also mentioned that Skubal is coming off elbow surgery and faces significant free agency at the end of the year.
Roberts stated his focus remains solely on winning in 2026 rather than on the idea of a three-peat. "I want to win 2026. All I care about is winning in 2026," he said. He added that Skubal talked about wanting to win a championship after joining the team. Separately, Roberts praised the Boston Red Sox as a well-rounded, athletic, hard-playing club, saying they remind him a lot of the Milwaukee Brewers.
On the pitching staff overall, Roberts explained that postseason roster and rotation decisions cannot be made yet since health status remains unknown, though some starters will move to the bullpen as has happened in past years. He also said Shohei Ohtani's build-up plan will not be affected by the trade, noting Ohtani is expected to begin playing catch soon, likely once the team reaches Chicago, and that the plan to build him up slowly and methodically was already in place regardless of the trade.