The Chicago Cubs have been in pursuit of Detroit Tigers superstar Tarik Skubal before the MLB trade deadline, and the fit makes more sense than anything.

The Cubs are in dire need of pitching, and Skubal is one of the best arms in all of baseball. Chicago is also in win-now mode, so it may not be too bothered by the fact that the two-time Cy Young award winner could bolt in free agency next winter.

But according to the latest update from ESPN’s Jeff Passan, the Cubs may no longer even be in the race.

During an appearance on SportsCenter, Passan revealed that the Los Angeles Dodgers and Milwaukee Brewers were the two frontrunners to land Skubal before Monday’s 6 p.m. ET cutoff.

This is obviously horrendous news for Chicago in more ways than one.

Not only do the Cubs appear to be out of the Skubal sweepstakes (at least as far as Passan can tell), but he could go to one of their two biggest rivals.

The Dodgers are the favorites to win a third straight World Series this year, and acquiring Skubal would simply put the cherry on top for them.

Then you have the Brewers, Chicago’s hated NL Central foes who are already in first place in the division and would merely increase their dominance by adding Skubal to the mix.

Obviously, nothing is a sure bet until Monday’s deadline comes and goes, but it’s looking more and more like the Cubs may lose out on Skubal.

If that ends up being the case, Chicago can turn its attention in another direction. There should be plenty of other helpful pitchers available, although none will be as impactful as Skubal.

The Cubs’ pitching staff has been absolutely ravaged by injuries this season, but even in the midst of that, Chicago finds itself holding the first NL Wild Card spot as we move into August.

We’ll see if the Cubs can pull of a blockbuster within the next couple of days.