Oct 11, 2026; Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Tarik Skubal (29) pitches against the Milwaukee Brewers in game one of the NLCS for the 2026 MLB Playoffs at American Family Field. Mandatory Credit: Michael McLoone-Imagn Images
The prospect of Tarik Skubal becoming the Mets’ next big free-agent signing is already dancing in the head of some members of the organization.
Zac Thornton spoke with Mike Puma of the New York Post earlier this week and admitted that it’s a hot topic of conversation with his teammates.
“I talk to [Nolan McLean] all the time about it, and he had some good talks with Skubal when they were in the [World Baseball Classic] together,” Thornton told Puma. “It would be awesome to bounce ideas, especially coming from another left-handed pitcher. Sean [Manaea] and I talk a lot, just about being lefties — there are not many around here, so it would be awesome to have another powerhouse left-handed pitcher around here.”
Even with a young core of promising arms like McLean, Thornton, Christian Scott, and Jonah Tong, president of baseball operations David Stearns made it clear in his end-of-season availability that “it is necessary for us to add to our rotation.”
Skubal would provide the bona fide veteran ace Freddy Peralta never became after his half season in Queens—though he certainly looks the part with the Tampa Bay Rays, who are battling the Cleveland Guardians in the ALCS.
Regardless, the left-handed Skubal will be the crown jewel of the free agent market this winter. The two-time defending American League Cy Young Award winner was dealt from the Detroit Tigers to the Los Angeles Dodgers at the trade deadline and remained his dominant self, going 5-2 with a 2.61 ERA and 1.048 WHIP.
Over his last three seasons, Skubal is 43-17 with a 2.42 ERA and 655 strikeouts in 546 innings pitched.
With a lockout looming, which could potentially carry a salary cap that will limit player salaries, Skubal will likely sign quickly — and that deal will be historic. He is projected to sign the richest contract for a free-agent pitcher ever, which should exceed $300 million.
Whether Stearns would be intrigued by doling out such an offer might not be as cut-and-dry as many might initially think.
Yes, the Mets’ president of baseball operations has had an aversion to handing out long-term big-money contracts to pitchers, which is understandable given the fragility of many major-league arms and the seemingly never-ending onslaught of injuries that come with it.
Skubal himself missed a month earlier this season when he had to undergo surgery to remove loose bodies from his pitching elbow.
But Stearns has gone to the negotiating table with a big-money contract offer for a starting pitcher while with the Mets. He offered Yoshinobu Yamamoto a 12-year, $325 million deal in December of 2023, but the Japanese superstar took an identical deal to join the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Skubal would certainly fit the mold of coaxing such an offer from Stearns, especially if it means that the Mets are that much closer to legitimate contention in 2027, if there is baseball.
For more on Tarik Skubal and the Mets, visit AMNY.com
