The Chicago Cubs fell short in their long-shot bid to land Tarik Skubal ahead of the MLB trade deadline, but they could be ready to move quickly onto the next group of targets.
Skubal is headed to Los Angeles after the Dodgers reportedly reached a deal with the Detroit Tigers for the ace. Though the Cubs were seen as contenders, the Dodgers emerged as the frontrunner on Saturday and put together the pieces to finalize the deal.
Cubs Have Next Pitching Targets in Mind After Tarik Skubal Trade
With just over two days left until the MLB trade deadline, the Cubs could be ready to shift quickly.
Patrick Mooney and Sahadev Sharma of The Athletic reported late on Saturday that the Cubs aimed to add multiple pitchers.
“By Mondayâs trade deadline, the Chicago Cubs intend to acquire multiple pitchers, aiming to reinforce the staff as a whole for a potential World Series run,” the report noted. “This snapshot is based on information from team and league sources, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to candidly discuss the state of an evolving market.”
At the time the report was published, just hours before the Dodgers finalized the Skubal trade, the report noted that the Cubs were still in the running to land him.
“Although the sky-high price and fierce competition from organizations with better farm systems may ultimately force them to pivot in another direction, the Cubs still have not ruled out Detroit Tigers ace Tarik Skubal, the American Leagueâs Cy Young Award winner for the past two seasons,” the report noted.
But the report noted that the Cubs already had their next step planned out, focusing on boosting their bullpen with a few targets in mind.
“If the Cubs donât splurge on the rotation, they could go big with a bullpen addition or two â Adrian Morejon, Luke Weaver and Jeff Hoffman are among the names under consideration â that moves the needle,” the report noted.
There could still be several options for starting pitchers, though the trade market is expected to heat up considerably in the final two days before the deadline.
Cubs Get a Bit of Good News
Though the Cubs remained in the hunt for Skubal before falling short, his trade to the Dodgers could bring a bit of good news for them. There were several other contenders for Skubal right through to the final day, including the division rival Milwaukee Brewers.
Joel Sherman and Jon Heyman of the New York Post noted that the New York Yankees were in the running as well, but the Brewers would have been the most likely destination if it weren’t the Dodgers.
“But the Yankees were not viewed as the favorite,” the report noted. “That was the Dodgers, and perhaps the Yankees were not even ahead of the Brewers, who have arguably the majorsâ best farm system. Thus, Milwaukee is viewed as a team capable of assembling a high-end package if it wanted to try to pair Skubal with Jacob Misioroski atop the rotation.”
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