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Dodgers 2026 report card: Tarik Skubal trade not enough to save banged-up pitching staff

The Los Angeles Dodgers' pitching staff, once the backbone of their back-to-back World Series victories, struggled to maintain dominance in 2026. Despite finishing with the fourth-lowest team ERA in the majors, the Dodgers fell short in the postseason, losing to the Milwaukee Brewers in the National League Championship Series.

Yoshinobu Yamamoto, the reigning World Series MVP, delivered another strong season, amassing 185 innings, a 14-9 record, and a 2.53 ERA—though he failed to replicate his historic October performance from 2025, exiting early in a pivotal NLCS Game 2 loss. Yamamoto remains a top-tier pitcher heading into 2027, but his postseason inconsistency raises questions about the Dodgers' ability to sustain success without October heroics.

The Dodgers' aggressive trade deadline move to acquire Tarik Skubal paid off in part, as he posted a 5-2 record and 2.61 ERA in 10 regular-season starts. His postseason performance was even more impressive, allowing just three runs over 11 innings in two starts, including a strong outing in Game 1 of the NLCS.

However, Skubal’s defeat in his NLCS start and the team’s inability to secure a third consecutive World Series title leave his future with the Dodgers uncertain. Meanwhile, Blake Snell’s season was derailed by injuries, limiting him to just nine starts and a 1.90 ERA in the regular season, though his two disastrous playoff outings against the Braves underscored the Dodgers' bullpen and rotation vulnerabilities moving forward.

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