Cubs "Locked In" on Reid Detmers Pursuit After Tarik Skubal Goes to Dodgers

[Matthew Trueblood]

Image courtesy of William Liang-Imagn Images

The Detroit Tigers traded Tarik Skubal to the Los Angeles Dodgers late Saturday night, for a package of three players headlined by former Cubs farmhand Zyhir Hope. The Cubs dealt Hope to Los Angeles in the deal that brought Michael Busch to Chicago in January 2024, so it was a good trade. Still, the coincidence was impossible to ignore. The Cubs didn't have anywhere near the firepower required to land Skubal, and one reason is that they'd already spent key prospect resources on trades like the Busch deal and the one that brought in Kyle Tucker in December 2024.

Now that Skubal has changed places, the expectation is that the market will move pretty fluidly over the final day and a half before Monday's deadline at 5 PM CT. The Cubs, who knew all along they were not the favorites for Skubal, had been developing alternatives—but another of their preferred targets might have also come off the market shortly before Skubal did. The Mariners traded veteran starter Luis Castillo to the White Sox in a four-player deal. When the Cubs had talked with Seattle, they'd felt the nudge toward Castillo, but they remained focused on younger controllable arms Emerson Hancock and George Kirby, a source familiar with the conversations said. The Mariners have entertained the possibility of trading one of those hurlers to bolster their anemic offense. After they were able to move Castillo (and the huge amount of money they owed him), though, it's now much less likely that they trade either Kirby or Hancock, said a source briefed on their plans. They've resolved their logjam in the rotation and can now take on salary if needed to acquire a bat.

That leaves the Cubs slightly in the lurch. They were already more likely to land Casey Mize from Detroit than to get into serious bidding on Skubal, but Mize (another impending free agent) comes with a moderate price tag and doesn't offer the same upside as a pitcher like Skubal, Hancock or Kirby would. They're still "very active" with the Mets on Freddy Peralta, Clay Holmes and multiple relievers, a source said, but other than righty reliever Luke Weaver, nothing New York can offer transforms the team into a legitimate threat to beat the Brewers or Dodgers in a long series come October. They've checked in with several other teams shopping high-end rental starters, including the Blue Jays (Kevin Gausman) and Giants (Robbie Ray), but found little initial traction.

Increasingly, therefore, the team is "locked in on Reid Detmers," a source said. Neither Jed Hoyer nor Carter Hawkins ever forecloses options before it's necessary, and neither likes to negotiate from a position of weakness, so they'll hold a firm line on the price, but they view Detmers as the best fit and the surest way to improve their roster both this season and over the next two. The sticking point, so far, is that the Angels want two of the team's top prospects, including catcher Owen Ayers; the Cubs want to find a way to get the deal done without sending Ayers. 

That's a peculiar level of attachment to a 25-year-old who has climbed from High-A to Triple-A this season, but Chicago believes in Ayers's ability to catch and in his bat. They think he could be their starting catcher next season, and are eager to work out an alternative structure that gets them Detmers without losing him. They would sooner trade infielder Pedro Ramírez, but the Angels prefer Ayers, a source said.

If this deadline is defined by one acquisition Hoyer and company make, it will probably be Detmers. However, it remains possible that this period will be defined instead by several moves. The Cubs believe they can scoop up three or four useful pieces—a back-end starter, multiple relievers and perhaps a backup outfielder—near the buzzer if needed; they've done so before. That diffuse approach to roster building can be frustrating for fans, and it's not always the right call, but this year's Cubs cry out for that kind of blanket coverage. They're thin in the starting rotation and even thinner in the bullpen. Detmers is the sexy option, but if the front office decides not to blink in its staredown with Anaheim, they might instead make three or four trades in quick succession, delivering the depth that is currently lacking for a team with World Series aspirations.

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[Victor Reichman]

Glad we didn't fall into the Skubal trap. A 2 month rental in exchange for several top prospects.

He will pig up a payroll when he hits free agency.