CC Sabathia tells Tarik Skubal to stay “himself” as he settles into the Dodgers

Tarik Skubal’s transition to the Los Angeles Dodgers has come with a familiar kind of spotlight, the one reserved for an impact starter expected to change the shape of a staff. In the latest episode of MLB According to CC, CC Sabathia focused on why a new ace might look “pressing” early, even when the talent is unquestioned.

Sabathia’s central point was simple: for a pitcher, adopting a new posture when the environment tightens is often a mistake. He argued that Skubal, as the type of left-handed centerpiece a contender seeks, can be tempted to force results or hurry his process in the early weeks, instead of letting his mechanics and decision-making settle into their normal rhythm.

That framing matters because elite teams do not only acquire arms for innings, they acquire them for execution. When a high-end starter joins a new rotation, the adjustment is not just about learning hitters and scouting tendencies. It is also about handling the internal pressure of being the most important piece every night, the expectation that the “ace form” will show up immediately.

Sabathia suggested that for Skubal, the path back to his best starts is not a reinvention but a return. The adjustment, in his view, is more mental than mechanical, embracing the version of himself that has made him successful before. In the podcast discussion, he described Skubal as needing to “be himself,” a phrase that in pitching terms implies staying consistent with how you throw, how you sequence, and how you respond when the first couple of innings do not go perfectly.

The larger story is how the Dodgers manage an ace’s early integration into a playoff-caliber staff. A team like Los Angeles typically builds rotations around repeatable patterns, the kind that allow a manager to trust the plan. When an acclaimed starter is still finding that baseline, it can put additional weight on the rest of the rotation to carry leverage games until the newest leader fully locks in.

At the same time, “pressing” is a diagnosis, not a verdict. A new-team stretch can reflect timing more than talent, synchronization with catchers and bullpens, and the gradual calibration that comes from seeing major-league hitters in your new home context. Sabathia’s message reads as encouragement, but also as a warning against overcorrecting in response to early discomfort.

What to watch next is whether Skubal’s approach stabilizes in real time. If he starts to look more like the pitcher who imposes his pitch selection and builds counts the way he prefers, the Dodgers’ rotation will benefit from a smoother pecking order. If not, the staff may lean harder on other starters while he finds the mental footing Sabathia believes is the real key to unlocking his ace-level form.