Insider Drops Telling Mets-Tarik Skubal Free Agency Update

The New York Mets need starting pitching, and Tarik Skubal will be the best arm available in free agency.

Mets president of baseball operations David Stearns noted after the season that the Mets need to address the starting rotation. Is he willing to go against his norms and hand out a major contract to Skubal? He generally does not like paying big money to pitchers, especially when they are not young. 

"I do think it is necessary for us to add to our rotation," Stearns said in his end-of-season press conference. "We can do that in a variety of different ways. We've talked about this plenty before -- you'd always love to add to the top of your rotation, any team would love to do that -- over the long term, what we need to do is develop pitchers at the top of our rotation, and I think we are proving we can do that, and we'll continue to do that."

Skubal is the type of player he should make an exception for, and ultra-aggressive owner Steve Cohen will likely be on board. New York Mets insider Chelsea Janes thinks the Mets will match the money on any deal Skubal is offered, but it remains to be seen whether Skubal wants to be a Met.