The New York Mets will certainly be busy this offseason.
With first baseman Pete Alonso planning to opt out of his contract and closer Edwin Diaz expected to do the same, the Mets almost have to retain their pair of stars.
But beyond keeping their own talent, there’s another move the team must make this winter and that’s acquiring a frontline starting pitcher via trade.
The name that should be at the top of the Mets’ list who should be on the trading block is Detroit Tigers phenom ace lefty Tarik Skubal.
According to Jon Heyman of The New York Post, the Tigers and Skubal are around $250 million apart in negotiations for an extension, which is colossal. Skubal is set to become a free agent after the 2026 season and this massive separation in talks has triggered a ton of trade speculation for the hurler.
So here’s where the Mets must be ultra aggressive. Skubal is a generational talent and the Mets already missed out on Cy Young caliber lefty Garrett Crochet last winter, who was ultimately traded to the Boston Red Sox.
The Mets were unwilling to part with both Jett Williams and Brandon Sproat in exchange for Crochet, but they should be willing to do so and more for Skubal. Maybe they throw in Jonah Tong? Anyone not named Nolan McLean or Carson Benge should be on the table when it comes to the possibility of trading for Skubal.
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The Mets need to bring in an ace and Skubal, who turns 29 in November, fits this bill. Not to mention, Mets owner Steve Cohen has deep enough pockets to either extend Skubal or sign him to a long-term deal in free agency next year. Per Heyman, Skubal could potentially exceed Gerrit Cole money on the open market ($324 million).
Skubal, the 2024 MLB Triple Crown winner and AL Cy Young triumphant, is coming off another big year in Detroit, where he was an All-Star and went 13-6 with a 2.21 ERA, a 0.89 WHIP and 241 strikeouts in 195.1 innings (31 starts). This type of dominance and consistency would have propelled the Mets into the postseason in 2025, where they missed out on an NL Wild Card spot by just one game.
Bringing in Skubal plus re-signing Alonso and Diaz would make the Mets instant World Series contenders in 2026. Eventually signing the southpaw to a long-term deal would likely create a sustainable winner as well.
If the Mets were to land Skubal, their rotation would include the lefty at the top, rookie sensation Nolan McLean, Clay Holmes, Kodai Senga, David Peterson and Sean Manaea.
The Mets have their own stars to retain, but Skubal is the one move they must make this offseason if they want to get back into the playoffs and make some noise.