One of the biggest questions in the air with the MLB Winter Meetings set to begin in a few days is what the Tigers will do with potential Mets target Tarik Skubal.
Skubal, one of the best pitchers in baseball, is set for free agency after the 2026 season. And it seems like a foregone conclusion that Detroit will not be able to retain him.
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When the Tigers attempted to extend Skubal, it was reportedly not just a non-competitive offer, but one that was relatively insulting. And owner Christopher Ilitch gave a bit of a weird answer a few months ago when asked about a possible Skubal extension.
With that as a backdrop, Buster Olney of ESPN reports that the Tigers “continue to be engaged” with teams that are interested in trading for Skubal.
Olney notes that the asking price for the left-hander is “enormous.”
Skubal is represented by Scott Boras, but the Mets would have the wherewithal to re-sign him in the event they trade for him — something that would make the haul they’d have to part with more palatable.
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For the Mets, it would likely take at least one or two of their best prospects along with much more to get a conversation going for Skubal.
Sep 19, 2025; New York City, New York, USA; New York Mets starting pitcher Brandon Sproat (40) follows through on a pitch against the Washington Nationals during the first inning at Citi Field. / Brad Penner-Imagn Images
SNY MLB Insider Andy Martino reported earlier this offseason that the Tigers have expressed interest in Brett Baty in the past.
Skubal, 29, has led the American League in ERA and FIP the last two seasons. And in 2025, he also led the AL in WHIP (0.89), walks per nine (1.5), and strikeout to walk rate (7.30). He carried that into the postseason, when he fired 7.2 one-run innings while striking out 14 in his Wild Card Series start and posted a 2.08 ERA and 0.61 WHIP while fanning 22 batters in 13.0 innings spanning his two starts in the ALDS.
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He has also been a workhorse over the last two years, tossing 192.0 innings in 2024 and 195.1 innings in 2025.
Meanwhile, a look at Skubal’s advanced stats via Baseball Savant illustrates his eye-popping dominance. In 2025, Skubal was in the 92nd percentile or better when it came to xERA, average exit velocity, chase percentage, whiff percentage, strikeout percentage, walk percentage, and hard hit percentage.
Skubal’s stuff — he relies heavily on his 4-seam and sinking fastballs and his changeup — grades out in the 100th percentile.
He’s also relatively inexpensive (for now), expected to make roughly $18 million in 2026 in what is his final season of arbitration.
