FOX Sports' Tigers-Cubs Tarik Skubal trade package gives fans a lot to think about

If a Tarik Skubal trade is inevitable, Tigers fans can only ask that the front office wrings the life out of the buying team. If the rumors are true — that Detroit would be looking for a package similar to the one that moved Juan Soto from the Nationals to the Padres — that's a good place to start.

The Mets have the prospects but are having a strange offseason and don't seem motivated to make a trade of this magnitude right now. The Yankees have a weaker farm system and might have to give up more major league pieces than they'd want. The Dodgers are always a threat, but talks have seemingly fizzled since the Winter Meetings.

There are a few dark horses — the Phillies, and maybe even the Cubs.

FOX Sports, in a "three moves the Cubs should make if Kyle Tucker leaves" (which he will) piece, put the bones of a Skubal trade together. They listed Chicago's first-round pick in 2025, Ethan Conrad, top prospects Owen Caissie and Kevin Alcántara, and one of top pitching prospects Cade Horton or Ben Brown, "among others."

An offer like that would certainly keep Scott Harris on the phone.

This massive trade haul from Cubs could move Tigers to trade Tarik Skubal

Conrad was a college pick, but he has yet to make his professional debut and is still a few years away from the majors, giving the Tigers plenty of room for development. Right now, he sort of looks like a slower version of Max Clark — both lefty outfielders who hit for contact.

Caissie, Alcántara, Horton, and Brown have all spent at least a little bit of time in the majors and would be able to make an immediate impact after being traded. Horton would inarguably be the headliner; he pitched 118 innings for a 2.67 ERA, placed second in NL Rookie of the Year voting, and is already garnering some early Cy Young hype for 2026 (though that probably won't happen as long as Paul Skenes is in the NL). The Tigers would have to demand Horton over Brown for fans to get on board with this idea at all.

The Cubs' front office most likely would not be moved to make a trade like this, especially not with the looming threat of Skubal's free agency after 2026, but on the off chance that they were to float this package to the Tigers, Harris would have to listen.