Mets to Meet Tarik Skubal in California Next Week, Sources Say

The New York Mets are scheduled to meet with free-agent left-hander Tarik Skubal in California next week, targeting the two-time Cy Young Award winner as the premier starter on the market.

Skubal Scheduled to Meet With Mets and Six Total Teams

Skubal’s planned meetings with six teams, including the Mets, Los Angeles Dodgers, and San Diego Padres, come as major league executives gather in Las Vegas for the General Managers’ meetings. Baseball’s collective bargaining agreement is scheduled to expire on Dec. 1, creating a looming deadline that has agents and clubs weighing whether to finalize massive deals before a transaction freeze takes hold. As major league executives convened at the Aria Resort and Casino in Las Vegas, a person familiar with negotiations disclosed the planned meetings to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity.

Jon Heyman first reported that a meeting would take place between the Mets and Skubal, with ESPN’s Jeff Passan reporting that the left-hander is expected to make his free agency decision by Dec. 1 before the current collective bargaining agreement expires.

Joel Sherman and Jon Heyman also discussed on ‘The Show’ how rival executives and agents view the Mets as among the most aggressive teams in early offseason trade talks and free agent pursuits.

Skubal turned 30 on Nov. 20 and finished the season going 12-7 with a 2.72 ERA across 158 2/3 innings between Detroit and the Dodgers, who acquired him at the trade deadline. During his time with the Dodgers following his acquisition on Aug. 2 for three prospects, he recorded a 2.61 ERA with 70 strikeouts across 62 innings. Alongside capturing Cy Young honors in 2024 and 2025, Skubal stands as one of only two pitchers to log over 590 innings since 2024.

Financial Landscape and Historical Precedents for Pitching Contracts

Any pursuit of Skubal involves entering historic contract territory alongside looming economic shifts. Yoshinobu Yamamoto holds the current record for the largest guarantee for a pitcher via his 12-year, $325 million deal with the Dodgers, while Max Scherzer and Justin Verlander share the current average annual value record at $43.3 million.

ESPN projects Skubal to land an average eight-year contract worth $355 million carrying a $44.6 million average annual value, with total expectations placing his contract between $324 million and $400 million.

Clubs pursuing elite talent this winter must also account for potential salary cap structures as early as 2028 under a new collective bargaining agreement. Cot’s Baseball Contracts estimates the Dodgers carry approximately $262 million on their luxury tax payroll for 2028, while the Mets maintain a figure near $197 million.

MLBTR contributor Ethan Hullihen projects the Mets will have millions on their books alongside a luxury tax number. Meanwhile, MLB data indicates eight teams—including Boston, the Chicago Cubs, the Los Angeles Dodgers, the New York Yankees, the New York Mets, Philadelphia, San Diego, and Toronto—would have to reduce their current payrolls by a combined $528 million to drop beneath a proposed 2028 cap.

Mets owner Steve Cohen previously engaged directly with agent Scott Boras during negotiations that brought Juan Soto to Queens, hosting Soto’s contingent at his Beverly Hills mansion in 2024. Stearns said that the franchise has demonstrated a willingness to commit to long-term agreements when conditions align, noting that owner Steve Cohen places no restriction on pursuing top players.

“It’s been also well publicized that even since I’ve been here, we’ve engaged in extremely long-term negotiations for pitchers, and we will do so again,” Stearns said, as reported by ESPN. “Having a complete rotation is really important, and that includes having pitchers who can successfully get you through a postseason, get you through a playoff series,” Stearns said.” Dodgers general manager Brandon Gomes also emphasized front office roster construction, stating that the organization focuses on “making sure you’re balancing and not setting yourself up to potentially hit a slow point or making sure you’re not doing things that disrupt what could potentially be — what we want is a very long window and making sure that stays open.” Agent Scott Boras similarly commented on the pre-deadline timing, stating, “For many teams, I can make an argument it’s clearly best for them to sign players currently, before the (new) CBA, than it is after.”

Roster Adjustments and Trade Markets Across the League

While the Mets prioritize rotation upgrades, rival front offices are simultaneously sorting through trade and free-agent decisions.

In Chicago, the Cubs do not plan to pursue Skubal in free agency, with Sahadev Sharma reporting that the organization is unlikely to enter the bidding war. The Cubs instead evaluate alternative pitching options, such as Freddy Peralta or Sonny Gray.

Senga pitched 118 2/3 innings across 23 starts with three injured list stints from 2024 to 2025, and landed on the injured list early in 2026 due to back inflammation before transitioning to a relief role in July.

Over 18 late-inning appearances, he posted a 3.78 ERA, converted eight of nine save opportunities, and struck out 22 batters against nine walks across 16 2/3 frames. Although he succeeded out of the bullpen, Mets manager Andy Green noted in September that “his passion resides in the rotation.”

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