Cubs should – With the Chicago Cubs sitting at 34-31 and ranked 19th in MLB with a 4.35 ERA, injuries have forced their hand. Tarik Skubal, facing free agency after the season, could be the exact fix—yet the Los Angeles Dodgers are also positioned to swoop in.
For a franchise that already proved it can bite in October, the Chicago Cubs’ 2026 reality is sharper than their World Series dreams.
They entered the season with expectations. but they’re 34-31 and. Sunday. they were ranked 19th in the league with a 4.35 ERA. The problem isn’t just performance—it’s the body count. Chicago has been hamstrung by injuries, with pitchers including Matthew Boyd, Cade Horton, and Justin Steele on the injured list.
In that same strained landscape, Ben Brown has been in the middle of a breakout, while Shota Imanaga and Edward Cabrera still figure into the Cubs’ equation. But the production gap has remained visible enough to make the trade deadline feel less like a gamble and more like a necessity.
That’s why Tarik Skubal has moved to the center of Chicago’s attention.
Detroit has been floundering with a 27-39 record, and Skubal is set to be a free agent after the season. With that timing. he’s become the hottest name on the trade market. and the Cubs don’t have the luxury of ignoring the moment—especially when they’re trying to push past the NL Central challenge of Milwaukee Brewers. and certainly before the Dodgers can turn the screw on their own rivals.
Chicago’s stakes run deeper than a simple pitching upgrade. The Cubs broke a four-year playoff drought in 2025, making the Division Series. They know what comes next: you don’t just make the postseason—you build a rotation that can outlast October.
Before the injury, Skubal was pitching at levels that would immediately change the Cubs’ month-to-month feel. He posted a 2.70 ERA and a 45/6 K/BB ratio prior to his elbow surgery. Even with him currently making his way back from that elbow injury. those numbers are the kind that transform a staff on paper.
The pitch that matters most for Chicago isn’t theoretical. If Skubal were on the roster and healthy enough for 12+ starts, the article’s assessment is blunt: he would have far and away the best ERA on the Cubs staff.
Of course, it would be less shocking if the Cubs had simply heard “Cy Young” and moved on. Skubal has won back-to-back AL Cy Young awards.
The trade math adds another layer, too. In prospect capital, it’s hard to imagine the Cubs outspending the Los Angeles Dodgers. The Dodgers have eight players inside the top 100 current prospects, via MLB Pipeline. Chicago, by contrast, has four.
Still, there may be room to work. The Tigers could be interested in MLB-ready options if they’re planning beyond Skubal’s possible departure. Players the piece points to include Matt Shaw and Moises Ballesteros.
Ultimately, this is about urgency—Chicago’s biggest issue is pitching, and Skubal is the kind of name that fixes it faster than waiting for a rotation to “eventually” stabilize. The Cubs want to win now, and their current staff doesn’t look as daunting come October.
A Skubal-led group could also change how the rest of the rotation gets treated: an injury lucky bounce back from Cabrera and Imanaga, alongside Brown continuing his hot streak, would still be “ifs”—but adding Skubal helps the Cubs swallow that uncertainty.
And it’s the Dodgers who make those stakes more intense.
The Dodgers are all-in on a third-straight World Series, and they’re expected to be in the mix for Skubal. The article doesn’t hide the consequence: if the Cubs see Skubal go to Los Angeles. their chances of winning the NL pennant decrease immensely. The simplest way for Chicago to protect its path is to trade for him itself.
Skubal’s injury recovery and free-agent horizon set a tight deadline feel. While the Cubs are working through the damage of 2026 injuries and trying to climb out of a 4.35 ERA season, their World Series aspirations can’t afford to wait for the pitching staff to fix itself.
Chicago Cubs Tarik Skubal Los Angeles Dodgers Detroit Tigers 2026 MLB World Series NL pennant pitching injuries Ben Brown Shota Imanaga Edward Cabrera Matthew Boyd Cade Horton Justin Steele MLB Pipeline AL Cy Young