Cubs Reportedly ‘Considering Tarik Skubal as Their Blockbuster Option’

Let me just go ahead and say right off the top that no one finds it funnier than me that I’m writing about the Cubs possibly pursuing Tarik Skubal just two days after writing that they’re not likely to do so. After both ESPN’s Jeff Passan and The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal left the Cubs off their lists of the southpaw’s top suitors comes a report from Patrick Mooney, also of The Athletic, that says they could be in the mix. We should note that no previous reports have said the Cubs wouldn’t pursue Skubal in any way, and Mooney is not saying that the Cubs are pushing all-in.

The key phrase is that the Cubs are “considering Tarik Skubal as their blockbuster option ahead of Monday’s trade deadline,” which is no different from saying there are no truly untouchable prospects. Between their strong need for starting pitching and Jed Hoyer’s long-running relationship with Tigers baseball boss Scott Harris, who began his front office career with the Cubs in 2016, it would be foolish not to at least check in. Mooney also notes Skubal’s deep ties to Arizona, which could factor if this were to turn into more than just a rental.

Though he spent most of his younger years in the Bay Area, Skubal attended high school in Kingman, AZ, and was initially drafted by the Diamondbacks before going back to school and ending up with the Tigers. Some believe the Cubs’ Mesa complex could give them a leg up when it comes to keeping Skubal around or recruiting him in free agency. They’d also be able to begin negotiations earlier should Scott Boras be amenable to it.

But you know who else calls the Phoenix area home in the offseason? The Dodgers and Brewers, both of whom have deeper farm systems and are viewed as frontrunners to land Skubal for at least the remainder of this season. Those teams also have a firm grasp on first place in their respective divisions with the best records in baseball, and thus have strong shots at a guaranteed bye in the first round of the postseason. With no such security at this point, the Cubs face much greater risk in pursuing a rental.

That would be the case even for pitchers below Skubal’s caliber, which is to say literally every other arm on the market. It’s not just about this season, either, as Chicago’s rotation stands to lose Shota Imanaga and Matthew Boyd after having already designated Jameson Taillon for assignment. Acquiring Skubal would almost certainly cost them at least one pitching prospect, probably one who’s at least close to MLB-ready, so trading for the lefty only to lose him in free agency would be a double whammy.

I’ll never completely close the door on anything, as we’ve seen Hoyer pull off some pretty big surprises in the past. But just about everything other than a few anecdotal connections is working heavily against the Cubs’ willingness and ability to do what it’ll take to land the most coveted member of this year’s trade class.