The New York Mets enter free agency with a clear path toward one of baseball’s top arms after the Los Angeles Dodgers were swept by the Milwaukee Brewers in the National League Championship Series.
Bleacher Report ranked the Mets as the top contender to sign Tarik Skubal this winter. The left-hander will hit the open market once the World Series ends.
The Mets finished 74-88 and fifth in the NL East. Their starting rotation posted a 4.47 ERA, ranking 23rd in the majors in both ERA and rWAR.
Skubal, 29, went 12-7 with a 2.72 ERA, 0.96 WHIP and 186 strikeouts in 26 starts and 158 2/3 innings between the Detroit Tigers and Dodgers. It marked the fourth straight season he held an ERA of 2.80 or lower.
He won the American League Cy Young Award in 2024 and 2025. Across eight career postseason starts, he has a 2.13 ERA.
“The Mets are the top contender for Skubal because of course they are. Steve Cohen may not be MLB’s richest owner anymore, but his track record speaks for itself,” Zachary D. Rymer wrote for Bleacher Report.
“Under him, the Mets have had MLB’s No. 1 Opening Day payroll in three of the last four years. And while president of baseball operations David Stearns clearly falls on the risk-averse side, Cohen has been known to put his finger on the scale until it climbs all the way to $765 million. That was for Juan Soto, of course, and there’s no denying that the Mets need his equal on the mound. Their starting rotation was a disaster this year, ranking 23rd in ERA and rWAR.”
The Mets led MLB in Opening Day payroll at $352.2 million in 2026, according to The Associated Press. They have ranked among the top spenders every season under Cohen.
Skubal was traded from the Tigers to the Dodgers at the deadline. He declined to discuss his future after the Dodgers’ elimination, saying he was focused on the immediate loss.
Industry projections put Skubal’s next deal in the mid-nine-figure range. Yoshinobu Yamamoto’s 12-year, $325 million contract remains the current record for a free-agent pitcher.
The Mets have young arms such as Nolan McLean, who led the club with a 3.16 ERA in 31 starts. Pairing him with Skubal would address the rotation’s biggest shortfall.
The Dodgers and New York Yankees also rank as strong suitors. Both clubs already feature established rotations, while the Mets ranked near the bottom in starter ERA.
Free agency officially begins five days after the World Series. Skubal is represented by Scott Boras and is expected to draw interest from a limited group of clubs able to meet his price.
The Mets’ front office has not commented publicly on specific targets. Stearns has historically preferred shorter-term pitching deals, but Cohen has overridden that approach for elite position players.
A signing of Skubal would immediately elevate New York’s rotation from its 23rd-place ranking. It would also give the club a proven postseason starter after missing the playoffs in consecutive seasons.
The Brewers’ sweep of the Dodgers closed one chapter and opened another. For the Mets, that chapter centers on whether they can convert their financial flexibility into a frontline ace.
