Cubs given nightmare fuel after seeing Jeff Passan's best fits for Tarik Skubal

The Chicago Cubs are already struggling to catch the Milwaukee Brewers in the NL Central race, but things could get much worse if a recent trade rumor comes true. In his latest trade deadline preview, ESPN's Jeff Passan named the Brewers one of the best fits for Detroit Tigers ace Tarik Skubal. Needless to say, the Brewers will have insane firepower if they land the back-to-back Cy Young award winner.

Milwaukee's rotation is already led by Jacob Misiorowski, who is mounting a Cy Young campaign of his own and leading MLB in strikeouts (131) and ERA (1.34) at the time I'm writing this. Kyle Harrison is also having an impressive breakout season, and former ace Brandon Woodruff is set to return from a shoulder injury soon.

Adding Skubal to the mix will significantly increase Milwaukee's chances of making a deep playoff run. Perhaps they would even be able to finally get past the Dodgers, who swept them out of the NLCS last year. As a baseball fan, it would be impressive to see that kind of firepower go against the Dodgers.

But as a Cubs fan, it would be very painful since Misiorowski can already outgun any pitcher Chicago can put on the mound. Adding Skubal would make it virtually impossible for the Cubs to compete, especially when you look at the historic season the entire Brewers roster is having.

The Brewers can realistically make this trade

Even though he'd be a rental, Skubal will cost a king's ransom if Detroit puts him on the block. Which seems likely since they are 14 games below .500 as of June 17, and they can take home an absolute haul for who will clearly be the best player available. And Milwaukee has the prospect capital to swing that kind of trade.

The Brewers went into 2026 with the best farm system in baseball, and they still have six prospects on MLB Pipeline's top 100 list. Including Jesús Made, who is considered the best prospect in baseball by most analysts and outlets. If there was ever a year to part with some of that young talent for a game-changing pitcher, this is it for Milwaukee.

Meanwhile, the Cubs are having a hard time beating some of the worst teams in baseball, and they've already been swept by the Brewers at home this year. If things continue to trend this way, the Cubs might as well sell at this year's deadline. And it honestly wouldn't be a bad play since they have ten players hitting free agency after this year, including half of their bullpen and three starting pitchers.

Teams destined for the playoffs are always looking to add pitching, so it wouldn't be the worst thing in the world if the Cubs find themselves below the .500 mark at the deadline. Plus, I don't know if I can handle the laughably lopsided pitching matchups if the Cubs somehow face the Brewers in the playoffs this year. Just imagine Ben Brown, Shota Imanaga, and Edward Cabrera (If any of them are even healthy) against Skubal, Misiorowski, and Harrison. Yikes...

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