Insiders discuss growing possibility that Mets acquire Tarik Skubal

Will the Mets try to land Tarik Skubal?

On SNY's Baseball Night in America, insiders David Lennon, Andy Martino, and Emmanuel Berbari addressed Jon Heyman's report and what the Mets would be willing to give up to acquire the star pitcher.

"He's clearly going to be on the market now," Lennon said. "Initially I thought the Tigers would hold on to him... but if the money is this far apart at this point, you're just going to throw up your hands and say we're going to move him and get whatever we can for him."

Martino agreed, adding "definitively" that "if teams are talking to the Tigers about trading for Tarik Skubal, the Mets will be one of those teams, and the Mets will be aggressive."

Of course, the price for a player like Skubal would be hefty. In the deal for Crochet, the Red Sox gave up a top 25 prospect in Kyle Teel, as well as No. 54 overall prospect Braden Montgomery and two more of the club's top 15 prospects.

The Mets haul would not only have to match this but likely surpass it. Skubal is now coming off what could be his second straight Cy Young campaign, posting an AL-best 2.21 ERA with 241 strikeouts, while Crochet was still a somewhat unproven commodity at the time of his deal.

According to Martino, New York would be willing to send the farm with the exception of one player.

"It wouldn't surprise me if they would trade anyone but Nolan McLean," he said. "Anybody else, to get one year of Tarik Skubal and then have the chance to sign him, the Mets would be in on it."

Trading for Skubal, as Martino indicates, would make sense not only for next season but as a long-term option for the team. He will become a free agent next season and will command a huge number on the open market, but with Steve Cohen's willingness to open up his wallet for top talent, New York could become Skubal's final major league stop.

"The Mets are in a perfect situation: if they want to go get the guy, you could have him for the next 11 years and he could retire as a Met," Berbari explained.

The proposition is undoubtedly exciting, but it remains to be seen if the club will make a strong push. In a big market with Juan Soto in town, the Mets figure to be in the mix to sign top free agents every season. Plus, the organization boasts a strong minor league contingent with players like Carson Benge, Jonah Tong, Brandon Sproat, and Jett Williams all ready to contribute at the big-league level.
But when the opportunity to land a generational talent like Skubal, these players become expendable.