Insiders Agree Cubs Hated Rival Will Not Trade Superstar Pitcher at Deadline

The Chicago Cubs are a team who look capable of competing for a World Series with the best offense in baseball continuing to put up absurd numbers night after night.

With championship potential combined with a pitching staff that is thin even on the best nights, wild trade ideas have been tossed around for the last several months as to how they could improve.

One of those ideas involved arguably the best pitcher in baseball, and fans across the league have discussed him in the context of whether or not he could be traded.

If the Pittsburgh Pirates did trade Paul Skenes, it would be for a historic haul, but don't count on that happening at this deadline.

Insiders Overwhelmingly Believe Pirates Will Not Trade Paul Skenes

The argument for Chicago's hated rival to trade Skenes does at least make sense. They're awful and are going to stay awful, and a generational talent like the young right-hander under team control for the next five years would return a collection of prospects like nobody has ever seen.

With that being said, just about every major insider thinks it's not happening, at least not yet. In a recent article breaking down some pre-deadline narratives, Mark Feinsand of MLB.com put it fairly bluntly in answering the biggest question on everyone's mind.

"No," Feinsand wrote in answering the question of will Pittsburgh deal their ace. "We’ve had some fun projecting the types of packages that Pittsburgh could get for the reigning NL Rookie of the Year, but GM Ben Cherington has done everything possible to throw cold water on the possibility."

If Skenes were to be traded though, the Cubs have the disadvantage of being in the division and the Pirates would be even more hesitant to send him there. With that being said, they may be one of the only teams equipped from a prospect standpoint to be able to entice the Buccos to make a deal.

For now, it certainly looks like Chicago will have to look elsewhere for the final pieces in the pitching staff.

It would not be a surprise to see Pittsburgh part ways with Skenes before he hits the open market in 2030, but most are in agreement it's not happening right now, and likely not this offseason either.

It's worth a phone call from the Cubs perspective, however by all accounts, it would be hung up on quickly.

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