Chicago Cubs: What it would’ve taken to get Tarik Skubal

The Chicago Cubs picked up veteran starting pitcher Kevin Gausman from the Toronto Blue Jays Sunday afternoon for prospects (OF) Brett Bateman and (IF) Ty Southisene.

More News: Chicago Cubs urged to get aggressive in pursuit of Angels’ Reid Detmers

This was a solid trade and it offers an immediate upgrade for a starting rotation besieged by injury and missing several key figures. The young talent dealt, although well-regarded and ranked in the Top 30 of their organization, wasn’t considered high-end. Cubs president Jed Hoyer and the front office can walk away from this one feeling good.

A day before the Gausman deal, however, their big chance to make a major splash evaporated when it was announced that back-to-back Cy Young winner Tarik Skubal had been acquired by the Los Angeles Dodgers for outfielder (and one-time Cubs prospect) Zyhir Hope and right-handed pitchers River Ryan and Brady Smith.

The return the Detroit Tigers got for their free agency-bound ace was been debated over the last couple of days. Some saw the return as light for a pitcher of Skubal’s prominence. Others viewed it as weighty for what amounts to two months of Skubal’s regular season.

What the Cubs would’ve had to give up

More News: Chicago Cubs have disappointing backup plan for trade deadline, per report

Whatever the case, the deal sort of established the real world baseline value for the elite rental arm. And the baseline is—an MLB Top 30 prospect (Hope) and a pair of high-level pitching prospects with injury and/or consistency concerns.

Lance Brozdowski, Player Development Analyst for Marquee Sports Network, recently shared what he feels would’ve been the Cubs equivalent to what the Dodgers gave up for Skubal.

According to Brozdowski, Chicago would’ve had to give up pitcher Ben Brown, either OF Josiah Hartshorn (no. 1 prospect) or INF Pedro Ramirez, and no. 3 pitching prospect (no. 8 overall) Brooks Caple.

That would’ve been a hefty price to pay for what they were getting in return and how long they’d have it. For the Dodgers, it made sense as they are World Series favorites looking to secure a third straight championship. Plus, they have the farm system depth to swing a trade like this without it feeling like a real drain.

As for the Cubs?

Too much?

Realistically, even having Skubal onboard and at the top of the rotation is no guarantee that the team will grab a World Series trophy. This is not to say that the Cubs wouldn’t have a shot at winning it all—or that they still couldn’t, if lots of things go in their favor—but there are still significant holes and inconsistencies in this team. Trading away three young talents with high-end potential would probably be too much for what they’d get from the elite lefty.

There is an “other hand,” though. Brown has that recurring neck issue that will likely keep him shut down for the rest of this season and may cap his future potential just as he began to breakthrough to next-level success. And when it comes to the minor league talent in such a deal, there’s never a guarantee that any prospect will actually pan out.

At the end of the day, this is more debate fodder than anything else. Skubal is with the Dodgers and the Cubs got Gausman at a reasonable price with, likely, more to come by the time the deadline comes around.

The post Chicago Cubs: What it would’ve taken to get Tarik Skubal appeared first on ChiCitySports.

Source: https://www.chicitysports.com/chicago-cubs-tarik-skubal-asking-price-ben-brown-josiah-hartshorn-pedro-ramirez/