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The Chicago Cubs addressed tough questions at several positions to turn around a disappointing season last year into a first-place standing in the division.
After bringing in Kyle Tucker for the outfield, Carson Kelly at backstop and a mix of new relievers, the Cubs are suddenly a surging team. But they haven't done much to address the starting rotation.
The Cubs did bring in Matthew Boyd as a free agent and they've promoted top prospect Cade Horton, but that pair is unlikely to bring enough to replace Justin Steele and Shota Imanaga, who are out with injuries. And that's particularly true if the Cubs hope to make a deep playoff run.
As a result, the Cubs could be looking for a dramatic trade upgrade. With that in mind, Bleacher Report's Zachary Rymer proposed a trade package that could bring Pittsburgh Pirates ace Paul Skenes to Chicago.
In Rymer's proposal, the Cubs would send Horton along with fellow top-ranked prospects Matt Shaw and Owen Caissie to Pittsburgh in a package for Skenes.
"For Pittsburgh, this deal would bring MLB Pipeline's No. 18, No. 35 and No. 49 prospects to town," Rymer wrote. "Shaw and Horton could obviously be plugged in right away, and Caissie and his power bat aren't far off from also being ready for The Show."
After Pittsburgh fired its manager earlier this season, speculation has risen that the team might be best served by trading away Skenes for a wealth of young talent. The thinking goes that the Pirates have several areas in need of improvement before Skenes would be pitching for anything really significant anyway.
But with several years of team control ahead on his contract and the makings of a generational franchise ace, Skenes is most likely staying put in Pittsburgh for the foreseeable future.
Still, if any deal could be swung to pry him away, a blockbuster haul like this one from the Cubs would certainly be under consideration.
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