Could we see the Cubs pursue Tigers ace Tarik Skubal at the trade deadline?
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What is the main topic of the episode regarding Tarik Skubal?
That sounds so crazy. 104.3 the score. Wow. I like that. Right there. Strike three. Another changeup from Scooble. Swing and a miss. Another changeup. That just disappears. This changeup is just electric. Hitting is hard. Exhibit 900.
You know that voice. I miss you, Jason Benetti. That's courtesy of Tigers Television. This is Rahimi Harrison-Grody on 104.3 The Score. Thanks for the chance, the rapper, Tyler. I appreciate you.
I got you. Oh, there you go. That was your request, Layla, and a request from the 630 on the text line.
Love that. So this has been brought up now a couple times. Tarek Skubal still recovering from that loose bodies and his elbow surgery, which sounds terrifying, but really it's just a scope. So he had the scope of the elbow done. The last time he pitched in a major league game was on April 29th. Then he went seven innings against Atlanta. He's expected back, but at the same time, The Tigers are bad without him. And that is part of the issue here is Tigers aren't the same team. They face the White Sox, by the way, this weekend. So it becomes even more top of mind as to what happens with Tarek Skubal out and with the Tigers at the bottom of the AL Central. Now they're 22 and 35. It's not like it's a completely lost cause.
The question becomes, number one, how out of it are the Tigers to where they would consider it? And number two, how badly do teams want to try to pursue a rental of Tarek Skubal? Yeah, I mean, those are huge questions. I mean, I think the Tigers are inching closer and closer to that possibility. I mean, if you get any kind of confirmation that the bodies have cleared and that he's okay, this is simply one of the— Paul Skeens and Tarek Skubal are your two best pitchers by a mile, right? So he would be worth the rental for a team that is serious about the postseason. But he wouldn't come cheap, as we know. The Tigers didn't want to pay him when he ended up getting awarded into arbitration. He is the back-to-back Cy Young winner in the American League.
Garrett Cole and Justin Verlander back him up in 2023 and 2022. The man is quality. There's no doubt about that. Being as young as he is, it's safe to say that once he is back, he will be good to go once after a couple of rehab starts and the process goes. It's just a matter of when. And I think it really does come down to as much as anything else.
What is Tarik Skubal's current injury status and recovery timeline?
How much do the Tigers think they can make up ground once they get him back to? Do you think it's enough when you consider that they're at the bottom of that division? I mean, if that really is what people like, again, I'd have to go through Detroit games and see where else they might be struggling right now. But if they can do the numbers and believe that it is exactly because the guy that pitches every five days is not there, like that's why they're losing then, which I doubt, I doubt it's all scooble. And you know, it's not. They were 18-17 when he went down, and then they went 3-17 in their next 20 games. But I don't care about Detroit. What about the Cubs-ness of it all? That's really the question.
So there is an article out in The Athletic from Jim Bowden, who is a former GM who's not willing to go out on a limb. That's for sure. And Bowdoin sized up the probability of whether or not a team would trade for Scooble. And he has a blurb in here about the Cubs because he went through all these different teams. Like, for example, about the Brewers, he said, they have the farm system to get Scooble, but that's not how they do business and they won't be players here. They play for the long term and are going to hold on to all of their very top prospects. Fine.
Mm-hmm.
The Cubs, he says, the Cubs will be eager to match up with the Tigers on a blockbuster if Schugel is available. Chicago has dealt with significant injuries to its starting rotation, but still is a postseason caliber squad. And the team's biggest weakness is not having an ace at the top of the rotation. I don't know, Jim. I don't know, Jim. I think there's a good chance it might be the fact that he, you know, the hitting has suffered as well.
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Chapters
6 chapters
1
What is the main topic of the episode regarding Tarik Skubal?
0:01–2:40
2
What is Tarik Skubal's current injury status and recovery timeline?
2:40–5:12
3
How have the Tigers performed without Tarik Skubal?
5:12–9:27
4
What factors influence the Cubs' potential trade for Skubal?
9:27–13:05
5
Do the Cubs have enough prospects to trade for Tarik Skubal?
13:05–15:24
6
What are the implications of a trade for the Cubs' postseason chances?
15:24–17:35
Speakers
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