LOS ANGELES — Despite downplaying their need for Tarik Skubal, the Los Angeles Dodgers worked feverishly over the past few days to land the left-hander, believing he was the only available player this deadline who would greatly increase their chances of becoming the first National League team to win three consecutive World Series.Now, Skubal will headline an already-stacked rotation alongside 2025 World Series MVP Yoshinobu Yamamoto, with Blake Snell, Tyler Glasnow and Shohei Ohtani all expected to return from their respective injuries before October. Not counting the accolades Ohtani and Yamamoto won in Japan, the Dodgers’ starting staff features a combined 12 All-Star berths and four Cy Young Awards.Was Skubal a need? Not an “acute” one, said longtime president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman. But for an organization hellbent on a historic three-peat, Skubal was certainly a want. As the Detroit Tigers became more open to discussions, the Dodgers became more ambitious. It did not take long for them to land yet another superstar.“Watching playoff baseball, outside of when the Dodgers play, is fun for me,” Friedman said from Dodger Stadium on Sunday afternoon. “To not have a rooting interest and just sit back and enjoy the theater of October baseball, watching Tarik Skubal pitch in the playoffs last year was must-see TV. I was in awe watching the energy, the dominance he exhibited there.“I can’t wait to see it in Dodger blue.”