Tarik Skubal is the prize of this year's free agency, and many insiders are tabbing the Chicago Cubs as contenders to sign him.
Skubal will sign a record-breaking contract whenever he signs, and even though the Los Angeles Dodgers and New York Mets seem more like the teams that will give him that money, the Cubs are certainly capable. However, they should avoid paying Skubal.
There's no denying that Skubal would be a great player for the Cubs. They desperately need starting pitching, and Skubal has an argument to be the best pitcher in the game. However, the Cubs will need more than just him. At the end of the day, the Cubs are not the Dodgers or Mets.
Signing Skubal will likely mean they won't be making any more huge splashes in free agency. That does not mean they won't be active, but they likely won't be signing any more top-tier guys.
Right now, they really only have Edward Cabrera and Justin Steele as reliable arms in the rotation, and it's hard to gauge how good they will be. Steele missed last season as he recovered from surgery, and Cabrera was good, but dealt with injuries. Cade Horton is a young star, but could miss most of next season.
Kevin Gausman, Matthew Boyd, Clay Holmes and Shota Imanaga are all free agents. The Cubs need multiple starters, and rather than putting all their eggs in one basket, they should try to sign two or three quality starters.
The Cubs could go get Michael King and Freddy Peralta for the money it would take to get Skubal. In fact, they might be able to spend on three starting pitchers with the money it would take to get Skubal. That would be a much better use of their money given their needs.