The New York Mets missed the playoffs again in 2026, marking the second straight year of that taking place.
Despite New York having one of the top payrolls in baseball, the team underperformed again, sending the team into a crucial offseason. The Mets’ front office has a lot of work to do this winter to turn the squad around, and a lot of it starts with the starting pitching.
After the Freddy Peralta trade backfired on the Mets, New York will now have to look elsewhere for pitching help. The Mets do have ace Nolan McLean, giving the team a good starting place entering the offseason.
With the Mets missing the playoffs again, many experts around baseball believe that owner Steven Cohen will be looking to make a statement this offseason. Cohen is one of the richest owners in the sport, and he has voiced his frustrations with how the last few years have gone.
Mets Linked to All-Star
As the offseason moves forward for the Mets, the team has continued to be linked with free agent ace Tarik Skubal. Skubal is easily the biggest fish on the market this winter, and New York is expected to be one of the first teams to try to land him.
The main competition for Skubal will be the Los Angeles Dodgers, San Diego Padres, and maybe some surprise teams. But New York has reportedly been willing to match whatever deal comes in to land Skubal.
However, whether Skubal wants to head to New York remains the big question. The left-hander starter to build relationships with the Dodgers, and he may elect to remain in Los Angeles.
But until that happens, the Mets will continue to be linked with the left-hander this offseason. And in a new contract prediction from MLB analyst Christopher Kline of FanSided, New York gives Skubal a nine-year, $378 million deal.
“Regardless of how CBA negotiations shake out, Tarik Skubal’s long-rumored $400 million price tag may ultimately prove to be an overestimation. There’s a reason no pitcher has ever received such a paycheck, Shohei Ohtani notwithstanding. Still, Skubal should become the highest-paid pitcher in MLB history. His durability, both in-game and season-long, combined with razor-sharp stuff in the prime of his career, should give teams the confidence to invest in Skubal over an extended period,” Kline wrote.
Splitting time between the Detroit Tigers and Dodgers, Skubal remained one of the better pitchers in baseball. The lefty posted a 2.72 ERA over 26 starts between the teams, throwing 158.2 innings of work.
Should Mets Spend Over $300M on Skubal?
The big question around the Mets is whether the team should be looking to spend this type of money on Skubal. While the left-hander is one of the best pitchers in the game, he is going to turn 30 in a few weeks.
Giving this large of a contract to an older player like this could backfire on New York, and the team may be better off spreading the money out to other players. However, teams don’t always get the chance to bring in a two-time Cy Young Award winner, and Skubal would be the big splash that Cohen has wanted to make lately.
Mets Predicted to Sign Two-Time All-Star in Major Offseason Move