New Cubs Trade Proposal For Tarik Skubal Emerges

A new trade concept has surfaced involving the Chicago Cubs and Detroit Tigers star pitcher Tarik Skubal, potentially addressing the North Siders’ need for a dominant starter.

Bleacher Report’s Zachary D. Rymer recently detailed a package that would bring Skubal to Wrigley Field, headlined by infield prospect Matt Shaw.

The proposed trade, per Rymer: “Chicago Cubs get LHP Tarik Skubal; Detroit Tigers get INF Matt Shaw, RHP Jaxon Wiggins (MLB No. 58), OF Ethan Conrad.”

“Like the Orioles, the Cubs have already been one of the offseason’s big winners, but right now they feel more like a team built to win the NL Central than one ready to knock off the Dodgers,” Rymer wrote. “A trade for Skubal would change that conversation. He’d immediately become the No. 1 in a rotation that doesn’t have a clear pick for the role as of now. And after Cubs starters fanned only 7.5 batters per nine innings in 2025, it would be nice to have a strikeout god like Skubal as a Game 1 starter in October.”

“Since Shaw is out of a starting job following the signing of Alex Bregman, he’d be an easy sacrifice for the Cubs and a good get for the Tigers,” Rymer continued. “He was a terrific defender as a rookie in 2025, and his bat recovered from a slow start to post a .839 OPS in the second half.”

Rymer also praised Wiggins as a near-MLB-ready starter with a 100 mph fastball and Conrad, the Cubs’ No. 17 pick from last year, for his professional potential despite past injuries.

Skubal’s 2025 dominance, including a league-leading strikeout rate, would obviously transform Chicago’s pitching staff. Unfortunately for Cubs fans, Rymer doesn’t think the Tigers would ultimately accept this trade idea.

“This package … doesn’t instantly answer the question of who would take his spot in Detroit,” Rymer wrote. “There’s no way the Tigers should move him unless they’re getting some kind of established arm back.”