Detroit’s ace could ignite a frantic bidding war, but Chicago's thin farm system and Jed Hoyer’s cautious history likely leave the North Siders trailing powerhouse rivals.
It’s become more and more likely that the Detroit Tigers could trade away ace Tarik Skubal at this year’s trade deadline.
The Tigers currently sit at 22-34 on the season and are 10 games behind the Cleveland Guardians (33-25) in the American League Central standings. With Skubal in the final year of his deal, there’s a chance he is traded by the August 3rd deadline.
If he is available for trade later this summer, many contending teams will be in on him. Skubal is a back-to-back American League Cy Young winner and has become one of the best pitchers in the game.
But will one of those teams be the Chicago Cubs?
There have been conflicting reports about whether the Cubs are serious contenders for Skubal this summer.
MLB insider Bob Nightengale recently reported that rival executives believe the bidding war for Skubal will come down to the Yankees, Blue Jays, Dodgers, and Padres. While that doesn’t mean the Cubs won’t be interested, it does signal that executives think the North Siders will not be serious players for the Tigers left-hander.
On the other hand, MLB insider Jon Heyman believes the North Siders have just as good a chance as any team to trade for him. Heyman went on his Bleacher Report segment on Wednesday afternoon and listed the Cubs as the No. 1 team for Skubal.
My Take:
Assuming the Cubs are in a position to buy ahead of the 2026 MLB Trade Deadline, they will almost certainly show interest in Skubal. He would be the No. 1 pitcher available at the deadline, and his addition could really reshape Chicago’s rotation.
However, it’s hard to imagine the Cubs outbidding teams like the Yankees, Dodgers, Padres, and even the Blue Jays for two months of Skubal.
For starters, the Cubs don’t have the level of prospect talent as some of those other teams. They have just three top-100 prospects on MLB Pipeline, and none of those prospects (Jefferson Rojas, Pedro Ramirez, Jaxon Wiggins) rank inside the top-80.
Meanwhile, the Dodgers, Yankees, and Blue Jays all have multiple prospects ranked higher. The Dodgers have seven top-100 prospects, including No. 9 overall prospect Josue De Paula. The Yankees have four prospects ranked inside the top-80, and the Blue Jays have the No. 32 overall prospect (JoJo Parker) and No. 56 overall prospect (Arjun Nimmala).
While there are no reports on what the Tigers will seek for Skubal, it will be a hefty price. This is a two-time back-to-back Cy Young winner who can help any ballclub down the stretch.
That means the Cubs will have to give up some high-level prospects to even be in the Skubal sweepstakes. Unfortunately, fans know just how president of baseball operations Jed Hoyer operates when it comes to dishing out prospects.
Now, Hoyer has given up top prospects like Cam Smith and Owen Caissie in each of the last two offseasons. But he has also been hesitant in giving up prospects in the past.
If the Cubs want any chance to land Skubal later this summer, they will need to part with several top prospects. That doesn’t feel like something Hoyer would do, especially since their farm system is already weak.
Therefore, it’s not totally logical to see the North Siders as potential suitors for Skubal. The market for him just might be too high for the Cubs' sake.
