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Junfu Han / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Mets’ perfect trade offer for Tigers’ Tarik Skubal

Originally posted on MLB on ClutchPoints | Last updated Oct 17, 2025 8:11 AM ET

The New York Mets missed the playoffs in the first year of the Juan Soto era partly because of poor pitching performances. With Sean Manaea and Kodai Senga injured, they leaned on three rookies to try and will them into the postseason. That did not work despite solid performances from Nolan McLean, Brandon Sproat, and Jonah Tong. Therefore, if the Detroit Tigers trade Tarik Skubal this offseason, the Mets should be at the front of the line.

Skubal has put together two historic seasons that will likely end with two Cy Young Awards. Despite losing in the ALDS in both seasons, his playoff statistics are nothing to be concerned about. In six appearances over the past two Octobers, he has a 2.04 ERA. Those two boxes, in addition to his durability, are the most important things for the Mets to find in a pitcher this winter.

The 2026 free agent class is not as strong in the pitching department as the 2025 class. Framber Valdez and Dylan Cease can be ace-caliber pitchers, but are not the difference makers that Max Fried, Corbin Burnes, and Blake Snell are. Skubal is far and away the best pitcher in the league, and if he is on the move, Steve Cohen should pounce.

What would the Tigers ask for in a Skubal trade? The limit may not exist, as the two-time defending Cy Young winner is rarely, if ever, on the block. But the Mets have the pieces to blow Detroit away without mortgaging their future. With Soto and Francisco Lindor in the lineup, their offense should be able to stay afloat if they sacrifice some offense to get Skubal. It’s a bet Cohen has to make after an incredibly disappointing season.

The Mets can blow away the Tigers with a Tarik Skubal offer

Junfu Han / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Coming back to the Mets is Tarik Skubal, who is on the last year of his arbitration deal and one year away from unrestricted free agency. They will sign him to a ten-year deal worth $375 million, one of the richest in league history for a pitcher. That contract would take him from his age-30 season to his age-39 season.

The Tigers should start by asking for Nolan McLean. He showed the most promise of any of the Mets’ pitching prospects in 2025 and has a bright future that starts immediately. They need to replace Skubal in the aggregate, and McLean is a great place to start.

The reason that the Tigers lost to the Seattle Mariners in the ALDS was their offense collapsing in key games. So if they are going to trade Skubal, they will need to get much better on offense. That could start here with Mark Vientos and Francisco Alvarez, two key members of the Mets’ offense. Vientos struggled offensively for much of the year and could benefit from a change of scenery. Alvarez dealt with a ton of injuries, but would drastically improve Detroit’s catching position on the offensive side.

Vientos, Alvarez, and McLean are three of the most valuable assets in the Mets organization. But no one would blame the Tigers if they declined that package in a trade for Skubal. Prospects like shortstop Jett Williams and first baseman Ryan Clifford could be included in the deal as well.

When Steve Cohen took over, he signed Justin Verlander and Max Scherzer to historic contracts. When those deals did not work, he traded them while retaining much of their salaries. That got a better return of prospects from both the Houston Astros and the Texas Rangers. Clifford was one of those prospects from the Astros and could help them land Skubal.

The Mets should make a run at Tarik Skubal this offseason with this incredible package.

Mets receive: LHP Tarik Skubal

Tigers receive: 3b Mark Vientos, C Fransico Alvarez, RHP Nolan McLean, 1b/OF Ryan Clifford (Mets #8)

This article first appeared on MLB on ClutchPoints and was syndicated with permission.

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