Cubs rumors may be playing right into Tigers' Tarik Skubal trade deadline strategy

Tis the season for smoke and mirrors, and that could be one way to describe the Chicago Cubs rumors involving Tarik Skubal. Just when it seemed the Cubs have fallen out of the picture for Skubal, a local report confirms that, at the very least, the reigning American League Cy Young Award winner is on the Cubs' radar ahead of the deadline.

Shortly after the Cubs' extra-inning loss against the St. Louis Cardinals on Wednesday night, The Athletic's Patrick Mooney reported that the Cubs are considering a pursuit of Skubal at the deadline. Mooney does caution that the Cubs likely won't be able to match an offer from the Los Angeles Dodgers or Milwaukee Brewers, but the connection between the Tigers front office and the Cubs could work in Chicago's favor.

Tigers President of Baseball Operations Scott Harris is a former underling of Theo Epstein and Jed Hoyer, and Kyle Hendricks is also working as an assistant in Detroit's front office. It's a connection that should be noted, but again, it's hard to imagine that being enough to overcome the Tigers turning down more appealing offers from the Dodgers or Brewers.

Tigers have a clear reason to push Cubs' Tarik Skubal rumors

There are obvious reasons for the Cubs to be interested in Skubal. Skubal gives Craig Counsell the unquestioned ace the team has lacked for most of the season, and as Mooney pointed out, the Cubs could see value having Skubal in-house over the next two months ahead of a potential pursuit of free agency.

That's a trope that's often said about a team trading for rentals at the deadline, and it can't be lost that Skubal is represented by Scott Boras. Boras is going to make sure that Skubal gets every possible dollar available to him this offseason, and his next contract would certainly top any contract the Cubs have shelled out by a large margin.

The Cubs' potential interest in Skubal shouldn't be undersold, it could signal that the front office is planning to be aggressive at the deadline. That said, there's a clear reason why the Tigers may be pushing the Cubs as a potential suitor in trade talks.

Outside of the Atlanta Braves, the Cubs pose the biggest threat to both the Dodgers and Brewers. Knowing that, the Tigers could be the ones leaking the Cubs' interest in Skubal, knowing that it may add more urgency from LA or Milwaukee.

For now, the Cubs seem to be back in the Skubal sweepstakes, and that adds a level intrigue to what the front office might do before Monday.

Add us as a preferred source on Google

Follow