The Chicago Cubs rotation has been decimated by injuries this season, leading to plenty of speculation about a potential Tarik Skubal trade. While the price is going to be high, one MLB insider believes there’s a deal that could work for both sides this summer.
The Athletic‘s Jim Bowden proposed that the Cubs could offer a trade package centered around infielder Matt Shaw along with top prospect Kevin Alcántara and Dominick Reid.
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“Shaw presently is in a utility role with the Cubs but profiles as an everyday player with second base being his best position. He can also play third or an outfield corner, and we all know how much Tigers manager A.J. Hinch loves positional flexibility. Alcántara could compete for playing time in right field for the Tigers, while Reid gives them another top pitching prospect for their pipeline.”
Jim Bowden on a potential Tarik Skubal trade package for the Chicago Cubs
Among the Cubs’ top prospects in 2026, ranked by MLB Pipeline, Alcántara ranks fifth while Reid is 15th. In early May, FanGraphs released its list of the 34 top Cubs prospects with Reid ranked 11th and Alcántara fifth.
It has been reported previously that Shaw might be one of the young players Chicago needs to move to acquire front-line pitching. Formerly a top-100 prospect, the 24-year-old infielder has a career .230/.294/.395 triple-slash line with a 1.4 fWAR across 541 career plate appearances.
Related: Insider Names 2 Potential Surprise Tarik Skubal Suitors
Chicago is certainly in dire need of starting pitching. Entering MLB games today, the Cubs rotation ranks 18th in ERA (4.19). However, the rotation ERA rose to 4.42 in May with a 1.29 WHIP (20th) and a .247 batting average allowed (22nd) across 29 starts.
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Moving Shaw, Alcántara and Reid for a two-time AL Cy Young Award winner would seemingly be a home-run trade for the Cubs. Shaw has not proven he can earn an everyday role, and there is a logjam in the outfield and at designated hitter with Seiya Suzuki, Ian Happ, Pete Crow-Armstrong, Michael Conforto and Moises Ballesteros.
The better question might be whether Detroit would be willing to move Skubal for that package, especially given that Shaw’s trade value has taken a significant hit in the last year-plus. That is not to say that Chicago will not be able to acquire a front-line starter at the trade deadline; there’s just a chance they might have to part with a better prospect (Ethan Conrad) to entice the Tigers.
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