The long-rumored prize jewel of the 2026 MLB trade deadline is now officially considered available, and the Chicago Cubs are going to be in the mix.
As ESPN's Jeff Passan reported on SportsCenter late Wednesday night, the Detroit Tigers have settled on the decision to trade back-to-back Cy Young winner Tarik Skubal, who is set to become a free agent after this season.
The 29-year-old left-hander made what will very likely be his last start for the club on Wednesday, recording his 1,000th career strikeout in an extra-innings loss to the Orioles that dropped Detroit to 51-58. Struggling to get back into the playoff picture in the American League, the Tigers have little choice but to capitalize on Skubal's value before he leaves in the offseason.
Passan clarified that while the decision has been made internally, Detroit will begin informing other teams in the next couple of days. But of course, rival clubs have already done their due diligence on if pursuing the veteran ace makes sense.
Of the front offices that currently in the hunt, a new team has emerged. According to Patrick Mooney of The Athletic, the Cubs are considering a trade for Skubal and see him as their "blockbuster option." The news came shortly after Chicago suffered a 3-2 walk-off loss to the St. Louis Cardinals.
It's no secret that the Cubs need pitching help. With a starting rotation that lost Cade Horton for the year, saw Matthew Boyd miss significant time, and has been without Edward Cabrera since June, they have managed to keep a firm hold of the top Wild Card spot in the NL.
But it was always known that the Cubs would have to bolster this unit if they want to stack up with the teams atop the National League come October. These same teams, however, are expected to be their main competition for Skubal.
Passan notes the Los Angeles Dodgers as the industry favorites to get him, and that the strong farm system of the Milwaukee Brewers makes them a real threat. Other teams said to be in on Skubal are the NL East leading Atlanta Braves, who are also low on pitching respective to their impressive roster, and two top American League clubs in the Tampa Bay Rays and New York Yankees.
It will obviously take a haul to land Skubal, and it's unclear how far Jed Hoyer and the Cubs' front office are willing to go to get the top option available at their number one need. If it becomes a true bidding war, it will be incredible difficult for Chicago to match the kind of prospect package that the Brewers or Dodgers could provide.
Other starting pitchers floated for the Cubs have been Mets right-handers Freddy Peralta and Clay Holmes, along with Toronto's Kevin Gausman and San Francisco's Robbie Ray.
