A small murmur floated through the lobby at the Winter Meetings before anyone even saw Scott Harris step to a microphone. Word had already leaked that the Detroit Tigers might be more open than expected on Tarik Skubal, but hearing it confirmed by Harris himself added a jolt to an already restless market. Skubal isn’t just another name in the rumor mill. He’s the kind of pitcher who changes a team’s trajectory the moment he walks through the door, and, naturally, the New York Mets are looking for that profile.
The Tigers Are Signaling Something Bigger
In Orlando, Harris offered the clearest window yet into how the Tigers are thinking about their ace. He noted that he doesn’t believe in untouchables anywhere in the organization, and while he insisted the stance wasn’t specific to Skubal, the industry isn’t buying that nuance. When a front office chief with one of the sport’s best pitchers says he has to listen, that’s really another way of saying the Tigers know their leverage and intend to test it.
Detroit’s calculus is complicated by the calendar. Skubal is under team control through 2026, then he hits the open market. That’s one more year of cost efficiency followed by the kind of free agency that could push his price well beyond the Tigers’ comfort zone. Detroit is a playoff-capable roster if things break right, but the organization hasn’t shown much indication it’s preparing to hand out a nine-figure anchor contract. Which means the Tigers are flirting with a familiar crossroads: extend, compete, or trade early enough to pull a massive return.
The Numbers Make the Decision Harder
Skubal’s resume is the source of Detroit’s dilemma. A 3.08 career ERA already paints the picture of stability, but the last two seasons are where his profile turns into something elite. He posted a 2.39 ERA in 2024 and an even cleaner 2.21 in 2025, the kind of back-to-back dominance that usually takes a pitcher off the trade board entirely. Add 469 strikeouts over those two years and you’re looking at the most complete left-handed starter in the American League.
Front offices don’t trade pitchers like this without a deep breath and a franchise-altering offer coming back. But Harris knows the market, knows who’s desperate, and knows that several contenders could talk themselves into parting with a staggering amount of talent for one more year of team control of ace-level reliability.
The Mets’ Fit Is Hard to Ignore
The Mets have quietly assembled a rotation full of competent arms, and yet they walk into this winter looking unmistakably incomplete. Kodai Senga, David Peterson, and Sean Manaea are quality veterans who can line up in the middle of a rotation. Nolan McLean, Jonah Tong, and Brandon Sproat give the front office a wave of young talent that could define the next half-decade if developed properly. But none of that group is an ace right now. They’re pieces, good ones, but still pieces.
Skubal is the missing element. He’s the version of a top starter who makes every pitcher behind him better simply by taking the first four days of the schedule off their shoulders. For a Mets team trying to reestablish itself as a contender rather than a storyline, that kind of presence has value that lives beyond stats.
A Market on the Brink
The Mets won’t be alone in their pursuit, and they know it. The Tigers also know exactly what they’re doing by speaking publicly about their openness. It’s an invitation, a reminder, and a pressure tactic all at once. If you want Skubal, make the call and don’t bother bringing a light offer.
Whether Detroit ultimately pulls the trigger will depend on just how overwhelmed they feel by the proposals. But if this winter has shown anything so far, it’s that ace pitching is scarce and desperation runs deep. Which raises the real question hovering over everything: how far are the Mets willing to go for the one starter who changes their ceiling overnight?
One way or another, this ends with someone blinking. The Tigers. The Mets. Or every team trying to pretend they’re not already imagining Skubal in their uniform.
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