Former New York Mets general manager Steve Phillips is the latest to offer up a potential trade package for the team to land superstar pitcher Tarik Skubal. However, it is still unlikely to get a deal done this offseason.
During the Mets’ stunning September collapse, one thing was apparent. While talented young pitchers Nolan McLean, Brandon Sproat, and Jonah Tong are ready to make an impact now, they still badly need a front-line ace that can stop losing streaks when they arise. Well, a perfect fit to address that problem could be available this winter.
There have been a boatload of rumblings that the Detroit Tigers might listen to offers on Cy Young candidate Tarik Skubal. He is in the final year of his rookie contract, and agent Scott Boras has every intention of taking him into free agency to get the biggest contract ever for a pitcher. If he is available, the Mets will undoubtedly be a contender. But what could the cost be?
- Tarik Skubal stats: 1306 record, 2.21 ERA, 0.891 WHIP, 241 SO, 33 BB
Well, former Mets GM Steve Phillips looked to answer that this week with what he feels might be enough to bring the two-time All-Star to Queens. In his theoretical trade, New York would get the ace for prospects Brandon Sproat, Jonah Tong, Luisangel Acuna, and Brett Baty.
But is that really enough to satisfy the Tigers?
The Mets will have to give up a painful amount of talent to get Tarik Skubal
Phillips’ thinking is sound. In the deal for Skubal, the Tigers get a pair of top-five Mets prospects in Tong and Sproat. He feels Acuna could be a replacement for Gleyber Torres — a free agent this offseason — at second, and Baty could address a need at third. It makes sense. It’s just not going to be enough.
Skubal is a free agent, and there is a lot of risk in giving up a huge sum for a player that may be one-and-done for the team he might get traded to. However, there is a very good chance he may win the AL Cy Young award for a second straight season. In 2024, he won the pitching triple crown by leading the league in ERA, wins, and strikeouts. He is the best pitcher on Earth right now, with all due respect to Paul Skenes.
Skubal is a game-changing talent that will turn the Mets into a serious threat to the Dodgers. That is why, as the New York Post’s Joel Sherman explained recently, the Mets will need to feel the pain to get Skubal, because moving on from him will greatly damage the Tigers. That means giving up McLean and Carson Benge, another elite prospect, in a deal for the stud pitcher.
While it would be great if what Phillips suggested would work, it just seems very unlikely. Since there will be a lot of competition for a Tarik Skubal trade.
