Cubs' Tarik Skubal hopes get a boost from MLB insider despite one major concern

It would seem that the Chicago Cubs are going to be a part of the Tarik Skubal circus. Generally speaking, that should be obvious, considering the need for pitching the Cubs have, but nothing in Jed Hoyer's spending history would suggest that the Cubs should be taken seriously as a bidder for Skubal.

It's possible that we reach the end of Skubal's free agency, and the Cubs have clearly moved to the back room. For now, insiders are tabbing the Cubs as one of the teams expected to be in the mix for Skubal this offseason.

The latest comes from MLB.com's Mark Feinsand. Feinsand offered a primer for Skubal's expected market, and listed the Cubs among the potential suitors. The other teams mentioned are the Los Angeles Dodgers, New York Mets, Detroit Tigers, Toronto Blue Jays, and Philadelphia Phillies.

Cubs could challenge Dodgers for Tarik Skubal but one obstacle looms

The Cubs have a dire need for pitching with over $100 million coming off their books this offseason. On paper, the Cubs are one of the few teams that can afford to sign Skubal to the contract he's going to command without risk of revamped payroll rules throwing a wrench into the team's construction. That's more or less Feinsand's reasoning for including the Cubs as a potential suitor.

The problem, one that the MLB insider also acknowledges, is that the Cubs have never signed a player to contract worth more than $200 million. At the very least, Skubal is expected to land a deal worth over $300 million. His contract would represent the largest deal in the history of the Cubs' organization, and while those type of deals have been the trend in recent years, Hoyer hasn't been a part of it.

In fact, last offseason, the Cubs bowed out of the bidding for Dylan Cease once it reached $200 million. Coupling that with the fact that both the Dodgers and Mets will likely be overly motivated to sign Skubal this offseason, it's difficult to imagine the Cubs being the top bidder.

That's kind of the double-edged sword for the Cubs when it comes to pursuing Skubal. It's possible that the Cubs do make a sincere effort to land Skubal, and that's not enough to get ahead of the Dodgers or Mets. It puts the team in a position to once again be the "we tried" champions this offseason. Eventually, the "we tried" will need to turn into the "we did it", even if it means Hoyer going vastly outside of his comfort zone.

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