A Cubs pursuit of Tarik Skubal this offseason is not off the table.
That much came through clearly on a recent episode of North Side Territory, where Patrick Mooney and Sahadev Sharma kicked off their pitching free-agent discussion with the Tigers ace and made it plain the Cubs are still in the mix. Mooney said Chicago is not closing the door on Skubal, even after the club’s summer run at him came up short.
“We’re starting with Skubal because the Cubs are not going to rule out Skubal at this point, which should be obvious, which should be standard operating procedure," Mooney said.
It’s an easy name for the Cubs to keep circling. Skubal checks nearly every box for a team that has needed a true front-line starter for a while.
He has posted a 2.80 ERA or better in four straight seasons, and his 30.0 percent strikeout rate last year paired with a 4.4 walk rate tells the rest of the story. That kind of swing-and-miss ability is exactly what Chicago has been missing.
For a Cubs club that has gone without many starters who can overpower hitters, Skubal would change the shape of the rotation in a hurry. He would bring more velocity and give the team the kind of postseason starter it lacked entering the recent Wild Card round.
Of course, the reason Skubal is such a hot name is obvious. The real issue is whether he’d want Chicago and whether the money would line up.
“From Skubal’s perspective, there are only a few teams at any given point that are going to be in play for the top pitcher on the free agent market … When the entire focus is pitching, you have to look at the best pitcher out there," Mooney said on North Side Territory. "And when you have already tried to acquire him at the trade deadline and you’ve done a ton of homework on him already, you have a pretty good idea of some of maybe some of his geographic preferences … it makes no sense to rule it out early.”
Mooney also pointed to Skubal’s Arizona background, which is close to the Cubs’ Mesa base. That alone wouldn’t outweigh a massive contract, but it does count as one more point in Chicago’s favor as the bidding develops.
In the end, this comes back to Jed Hoyer and how far the Cubs are willing to go. Chicago has not often played in the same financial space as the Dodgers, Mets, and Yankees, but there are signs the club may be more willing to push than it has in the past. The Alex Bregman signing last offseason and the decision to move several top prospects at this year’s trade deadline both fit that idea.
The timing also works. The Cubs want to win now, and Skubal is in his prime. After a frustrating finish to a season with big expectations, this winter would be the moment to make a serious move if they are going to make one.
That said, no one should treat this as a done deal or even a favorite. There is still plenty of offseason ahead before the Cubs’ plan becomes clear.
But Mooney and Sharma treating Skubal as a real possibility is enough to keep the conversation alive. And after his first career start at Wrigley Field earlier this year, there’s at least one more reason to think the lefty would be open to the North Side.
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