Zyhir Hope headlines return package for Skubal

Hope will be under a lot of scrutiny as the headliner in the Tarik Skubal deal, but the 21-year-old is having a tremendous season. He’s now hitting .287/.367/.525 with 24 home runs, 89 RBI, 70 runs scored, and 18 steals in 97 games at Double-A. It remains to be seen if the Tigers want to push him up one more level this year.

Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic reports that the Dodgers will send outfield prospect Zyhir Hope and right-handed pitching prospects River Ryan and Brady Smith. It was initially reported that Emmet Sheehan was included, but multiple outlets have confirmed he’s not headed to Detroit. Skubal is inarguably one of the best pitchers in baseball and has won back-to-back Cy Young Awards for the Tigers, and he joins Los Angeles with a 2.79 ERA and 116/14 K/BB in his 16 starts this year. The pending free agent will join the loaded Dodgers’ roster as the new ace, and obviously, fantasy managers have no reason to believe he won’t continue to pitch at an elite level now that he’s in Los Angeles rather than Detroit.

Anytime you see prospects scratched around the deadline — aka Hug Watch 2026 — you have to wonder what’s going on. Hope is considered one of the best outfield prospects in baseball, and George is a 2023 first-round pick that offers some upside with the bat as well. The Dodgers are expected to make a blockbuster move before the deadline, and Hope is certainly the type of prospect who could headline a deal for one of those better players, with George more of a secondary — but valuable — piece.

Hope followed up a four-hit effort on Thursday with a six-RBI performance while homering for the second straight contest. The 21-year-old is a less intriguing all-around prospect than Josue De Paula because of some approach and hit tool concerns, but he still offers enough power and speed upside that he’s going to make a real fantasy impact down the road. He’s up to 15 round-trippers and 13 thefts through 74 games at the Double-A level this season and remains on track to reach the big leagues at some point next year.

Siani is the most prominent inclusion among the big leaguers in this latest batch of cuts from Dodgers camp. The 26-year-old defensive specialist figures to be up with Los Angeles at some point in a bench role. Hope is the biggest prospect in this group as he ranks right up there with Eduardo Quintero, Josue De Paula and Mike Sirota as one of the organization’s top prospects.

Wetherholt — who was promoted to Triple-A Memphis earlier this week — headlines a senior circuit lineup that includes rising fantasy sensation Konnor Griffin, who has emerged as arguably the top prospect in the entire dynasty landscape during his professional debut. It also features Dodgers burgeoning sluggers Zyhir Hope and Josue De Paula in addition to Brewers phenom Jesús Made, who has cemented his status as a top-10 dynasty prospect in the game. Here’s the full lineup: Wetherholt (DH), Griffin (SS), Owen Caissie (RF), Charlie Condon (1B), Hope (CF), Made (2B), De Paula (LF), LuJames Groover (3B), Joe Mack (C) and JR Ritchie (P).

Hope is showing exactly why he’s a top-10 range dynasty prospect in the early stages of the season, hitting an astronomical .353 (18-for-51) with four homers, 17 RBI and four steals through 13 games. The 20-year-old prodigy took Reds top pitching prospect Chase Burns deep with an extremely impressive opposite-field blast to left-center field before adding his second round-tripper of the contest a couple frames later. He’s
He’s paired with fellow top prospect Josue De Paula to form a High-A version of the ‘Bash Brothers’ as one of the most exciting lineups in the entire minors. It shouldn’t be long before he arrives at Double-A Tulsa as one of the youngest players in the upper minors.

Hope has clobbered two homers, including an impressive two-run shot to deep right-center field on Friday night, and has also chipped in four steals. The 20-year-old projects as a prototypical slugging corner outfielder once he reaches the big leagues. He’s posted stratospheric exit velocities relative to his age and level and is a borderline top-15 prospect for dynasty purposes already.

Hope’s two-run blast left the bat at 111 mph and traveled 427 feet, according to MLB Pipeline. He has a chance to break into the big leagues as a bat-first corner outfielder down the line, if everything comes together. The 20-year-old prodigy has posted sublime exit velocity numbers over the past calendar year, including a 108.5 mph 90th percentile exit velocity, according to Baseball America data. He’s a borderline top-15 prospect for dynasty purposes already with a chance to break into the top 10 by midseason.

Hope got the Dodgers on the board with a game-tying two-run double off of Braden Nett in the second inning. The 20-year-old prospect has also made several terrific catches in the outfield and has been one of the most impressive all-around players in Dodgers’ camp so far. He probably isn’t going to find his way onto the big league roster at any point during the 2025 season, but he’s a player that dynasty and keeper league managers should be paying attention to.