If the New York Mets hope to enter the World Series race during the 2026 MLB season, they must make a significant upgrade to their rotation over the offseason.<\/p>\n
The Detroit Tigers might help them do exactly that.<\/p>\n
While the Tigers have hardly committed to anything regarding a Tarik Skubal trade, they’ve also been reportedly less than committed on securing the soon-to-be two-time Cy Young winner’s future.<\/p>\n
After first bringing word of a massive gap<\/a> in contract extension talks, Jon Heyman<\/a> of the New York Post now shared the details of Detroit’s shockingly low offer: $80 million for four years. Even if the Tigers have upped their offer since, they started their negotiations from such an insulting place that bridging this gap could be impossible.<\/p>\n That should be the Mets’ hope, anyhow. Drop a high-end talent at the top of their rotation, and suddenly their championship chances skyrocket.<\/p>\n And, let’s be honest, pitching talent doesn’t get more high-end than this.<\/p>\n Skubal was the unanimous choice<\/a> for AL Cy Young last season, and he was even better this time around. He pitched to a 2.21 ERA and 0.891 WHIP while generating 241 strikeouts (and only 33 walks) in his 195.1 innings.<\/p>\n He’s as close to unhittable as any starter in today’s game. If you’re wondering why that doesn’t make him an obvious keeper for Detroit, that’s because he’s ticketed for free agency after next season. And the Tigers don’t seem anywhere close to comfortable with covering the potential cost, with Heyman<\/a> previously reporting Skubal’s “baseline ask” is $400 million.<\/p>\n This is what potential pitching poachers have been waiting to hear.<\/p>\n