Cubs' Tarik Skubal trade proposal looks good on paper but ignores harsh truth

The Detroit Tigers say they aren't going to trade Tarik Skubal, but as of now, no one seems to believe them. In a perfect world, Skubal would be the top target for the Chicago Cubs at the MLB trade deadline, but a perfect world doesn't appear to be the one the Cubs are living in during the 2026 regular season.

Still, that won't stop MLB insiders from speculating about a potential trade of Skubal this summer, and listing the Cubs as a potential suitor. The latest thought exercise comes from ESPN's Kiley McDaniel, ranking teams with the best possible trade package to offer the Tigers for the Skubal.

It shouldn't be a surprise to anyone that the Dodgers are team that can offer the deal that makes the most sense for the Tigers, but ESPN's prospect expert has the Cubs in the "Now we're getting somewhere" category.

As for the proposal, McDaniel suggests that a package of Pedro Ramirez, Kevin Alcantara, and Jaxon Wiggins could be enough to catch the attention of the Tigers. At the very least, it gets the Cubs a seat at the table.

Cubs' Tarik Skubal trade idea ignores truth hiding in plain sight

On paper, it makes sense why McDaniel included the prospects that he did. Ramirez and Alcantara are two of the best position-player prospects in the Cubs' system, and Wiggins is the top pitching prospect in the organization.

Where the idea may lose appeal is how the 2026 season has played out for Alcantara and Wiggins. The prospect shine on Alcantara has been wearing off in recent years, and his latest run with the Cubs ended with a demotion forced by a base running gaffe. There certainly is still lofty potential in Alcantara's prospect profile, but there might be an even biggest question if he's capable of living up to it.

As for Wiggins, given the murky injury status he has carried since the start of the 2026 season, it's hard to imagine the Tigers taking him back as the only pitcher in the deal. Wiggins does have the ceiling of an ace in a major league rotation, but the longer he goes without pitching with a Cubs' affiliate, the more uncertainty that is going to cloud his profile moving forward.

Of course, as the last four weeks have played out, overall, the Cubs can't justify a trade for Skubal at the moment. Perhaps that changes by the end of July, but even then, it's hard to imagine Jed Hoyer being able to put the best offer on the table.

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