Cubs cost to trade for Tarik Skubal from Tigers revealed by ex-MLB GM

The Chicago Cubs are in desperate need of starting pitching help this season. Matthew Boyd, Edward Cabrera, and Justin Steele are all hurt at the moment, and Cade Horton is done for the year.

Shota Imanaga, Jameson Taillon, and the other starters haven't done well enough for the Cubs to move forward with confidence in their rotation, even when fully healthy. They need more pitching help.

That's why a link to Detroit Tigers ace Tarik Skubal makes so much sense. But what would it cost to acquire him in a trade? Former MLB general manager Jim Bowden of The Athletic revealed what it could cost for the Cubs to add Skubal in a deal this season.

Cubs trade cost for Tarik Skubal revealed by ex-MLB GM

"The Cubs are in position to offer a mix of major-league-ready talent and minor-league prospects," Bowden writes. "They could offer infielder Matt Shaw, outfielder Kevin Alcantara, and right-hander Dominick Reid."

This three-player package for Skubal would not be a cheap one for the Tigers, but considering how great Skubal is, and would be for this Cubs rotation, it's worth it.

Shaw is blocked in both the outfield and the infield on the Cubs roster at the moment, anyway, and while Alcantara could be a mainstay of the roster in 2027 and beyond, for at least 2026, he's an odd-man-out.

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Sending Reid as part of this package wouldn't be something the Cubs should worry about either, as landing Skubal should take priority over the potential of a prospect who might not factor in the MLB pitching staff in 2026 or the near future.

The Tigers are trending towards trading away Skubal this season, with their 22-38 record being a brutal 16 games under .500, and the team likely missing the playoffs in 2026.

In such a scenario, it makes sense for the Tigers to trade Skubal, land a package like this one from the Cubs, and move forward.

And from the Cubs perspective, while this three-player package would be expensive, with Shaw and Alcantara among the Cubs most valuable trade assets, it's a worthwhile cost to add the back-to-back Cy Young winner.

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