The New York Mets will likely have a very busy offseason after a disappointing season.
At 74-88, the Mets finished last in the NL East and had a -32 run differential.
President of baseball operations David Stearns has a lot on his plate, and owner Steve Cohen has never been afraid to spend money in free agency.
New York signed Juan Soto to the richest contract in Major League history two offseasons ago. Now, the Mets have an “obvious” free agent to target for the starting rotation.
“The Mets attempted to get that ace in the form of Freddy Peralta last winter, but that experiment failed spectacularly. From there, why not sign arguably the best pitcher [Tarik Skubal] in the sport, who proved he can pitch in a big market for a contender down the stretch this season?
“All it’d take is money; New York wouldn’t even have to give up additional draft picks or international bonus money, with Skubal being ineligible for the qualifying offer after being traded midseason,” FanSided’s Zachary Rotman wrote.
Skubal is easily the top free agent in this year’s class. He proved he can pitch in a large market after the midseason trade to the Los Angeles Dodgers.
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Skubal, who had a 2.61 ERA with 70 strikeouts in 10 starts with the Dodgers, will be highly coveted by several clubs, including Los Angeles.
If Stearns and the Mets are willing to give the left-hander the largest contract for a pitcher in MLB history, Skubal could be persuaded to take his talents to Queens.
As Rotman wrote, that would be a great start to how the Mets can achieve an “A+” offseason.
