BY MIKE RIFKIN
Tarik Skubal is arguably the best pitcher in baseball, you don’t even need to look at the numbers just watch his game five performance against the Mariners in the ALDS. Skubal is probably about to win his second consecutive CY Young award after going 13-6 with a 2.21 ERA with 241 strikeouts in 195.1 innings. The 2.21 ERA and 241 strikeouts both put him second in Major League Baseball. Skubal was also fourth in quality starts (there were three tied for first) with 21. Skubal proved his 2024 season where he was at the top of most pitching categories. Skubal sounds like a guy you want to build around right?
According to MLB insider Jon Heyman Skubal and the Tigers are around 200 million dollars apart on a potential new deal. The question will be if the Tigers can’t come to a deal with Skubal, will they trade him? The answer is obviously yes, because they cannot afford to let the best pitcher in the game walk for nothing, or get less at the trade deadline.
One team that should be on the phone with the Tigers are the New York Mets. The Mets missed the playoffs in 2025, after a Cinderella-like run to the NLCS in 2024. Two things are true about the Mets: Steve Cohen is not afraid of the massive move and after 2025 the team needs to get back in the good graces of the fans, because missing the playoffs should be unacceptable. Since hiring David Stearns as President of Baseball Operations, the Mets haven’t made the major pitching move, it’s been a lot of flyers. But this Winter Stearns has to be aggressive and get his ace. The Mets and Tigers could match up pretty well in a Skubal deal, but there’s only one way I’d do it and that’s Skubal needs to sign an extension with the club. Maybe the Mets could do something similar that they did when they traded for Johan Santana in 2008, where they were given a 72 hour window to get a deal done.
So what can the Mets offer the Tigers for Skubal? The Mets have one of the better farm systems in Baseball and could offer Detroit a lot. Let’s start with the easy part: either Jonah Tong or Brandon Sproat will go in this deal. Both guys came up in September and pitched fairly well, but Tong does need more seasoning in Triple A. Could Detroit want David Peterson? What does Detroit think of Jett Williams, Carson Benge, Jacob Reimer, Ryan Clifford, etc… Then there is the current roster. Do the Tigers have interest in Ronny Mauricio or Mark Vientos? Now, while everything for me would hinge on the extension, David Stearns has to make the call.
And there could be another massive positive that comes out of a Skubal trade/negotiation. Skubal is represented by Scott Boras, who also happens to represent someone else the Mets should be looking at this offseason. Boras is the representative of Mets’ first baseman Pete Alonso, who is coming off a great year. So while negotiating a potential Skubal deal, the Mets could also negotiate a deal to bring back their first baseman. Skubal and Alonso wouldn’t be the only Boras clients on the roster if it were to happen. Juan Soto and Brandon Nimmo are also both Boras clients.
Here’s the deal the Mets need to add to the rotation this winter. Skubal would be a start, but it’s not the end because of how the Mets’ rotation let them down this season. Skubal would give them something they didn’t have in 2024 though, an ace.
The Sports Insanity Network 