ST. LOUIS — In a wide-ranging search for pitching reinforcements, the Chicago Cubs are considering Tarik Skubal as their blockbuster option ahead of Monday’s trade deadline, according to several baseball officials who were granted anonymity to candidly discuss a still-developing market.Skubal, the American League’s Cy Young Award winner for the past two seasons, made perhaps his final start in a Detroit Tigers uniform in Wednesday’s 10-9 loss to the Baltimore Orioles at Comerica Park. The 12-inning defeat left the Tigers with a 51-58 record that still kept them on the edges of the AL playoff picture.With so many clubs stuck in that vast middle, Detroit’s predicament illustrates the fluid nature of this deadline. Skubal, who will become a free agent after this season, is the best player available by a wide margin, and the Tigers are expected to stick to an enormous valuation of his talent for the stretch run.Crossing that threshold for a deal will be difficult for the Cubs, especially if organizations with deeper farm systems, such as the Los Angeles Dodgers and Milwaukee Brewers, make Skubal a priority.While Chicago’s postseason probabilities are high, its chances of overtaking Milwaukee in the National League Central are low, meaning the Cubs are unlikely to receive a first-round bye. Starting the playoffs in the wild-card round reduces the World Series odds that Cubs president of baseball operations Jed Hoyer has repeatedly cited as a factor in how aggressive a front office should be at the trade deadline.Detroit Tigers pitcher Tarik Skubal watches from the dugout during the seventh inning of a baseball game against the Baltimore Orioles Wednesday, July 29, 2026, in Detroit. (Paul Sancya / Associated Press)Hoyer has a close, longstanding relationship with his Detroit counterpart, Scott Harris, who earned a 2016 World Series ring while launching his career at Wrigley Field, and now runs the Tigers with a similarly systematic approach.Another connection worth noting: Skubal has deep roots in Arizona, which would make spring training at the Cubs’ Mesa complex an appealing and convenient feature once he weighs his options as a free agent. Acquiring Skubal, who is represented by agent Scott Boras, would give the Cubs a head start on that recruiting presentation, though it would likely require a financial commitment to a pitcher that is unprecedented in franchise history.