The Chicago Cubs are among the top teams in Major League Baseball and currently lead the National League Central. However, they might benefit from adding a standout pitcher to strengthen their roster. Injuries have impacted their starting rotation this season, highlighting the need for a pitching upgrade.
Surprisingly, Pittsburgh Pirates ace Paul Skenes could be a potential solution. With the Pirates struggling near the bottom of the league and unlikely to compete for a playoff spot in the near future, a move involving Skenes isn’t entirely out of the question.
If the Pittsburgh Pirates were to make the shocking decision to trade Paul Skenes, ClutchPoints’ Bailey Bassett suggests that the Chicago Cubs could be a legitimate destination. Bassett proposes a blockbuster deal in which the Cubs send a haul of prospects—Owen Caissie (MLB No. 49), Moises Ballesteros (MLB No. 61), Kevin Alcantara (MLB No. 74), Jefferson Rojas (MLB No. 78), and Juan Cabada (Cubs No. 19)—to Pittsburgh in exchange for the 22-year-old pitching phenom.
“Jon Heyman has already stated there’s a zero percent chance Skenes will be traded,” Bassett noted. “That makes sense, given Skenes’ status as a once-in-a-generation talent and his young age. Still, with the Cubs leading the NL Central and aiming to contend now, they may be willing to part with a large portion of their future to bolster the present.”
Pitching depth has been a concern for Chicago, as ace Justin Steele is out for the season, and both Shota Imanaga and Javier Assad have missed time due to injuries. Bassett argues that the Cubs should consolidate their top-tier prospects in exchange for a superstar, and no player fits that description better than Skenes. If the Pirates were to accept such a package, they would instantly possess one of the deepest farm systems in MLB, potentially even the deepest ever, especially when adding those prospects to their current top-tier talent, including Bubba Chandler, the No. 2 overall prospect.
