The Dodgers changed the deadline conversation in a hurry Saturday night.
By landing two-time Cy Young winner Tarik Skubal from the Tigers, they did more than add the best pitcher on the market. They reset the price for everyone else. And with less than 48 hours left before Monday’s 6 p.m. deadline, the ripple effect was already being felt across baseball Sunday morning.
Skubal, a 29-year-old ace on an expiring deal, brought the kind of production that makes front offices empty the cupboard. Over his last three seasons, he has posted a 2.40 ERA and a 0.91 WHIP, and he has struck out at least 228 batters in each of the last two seasons while helping the Tigers reach the playoffs in back-to-back years. The Dodgers gave up a pair of top 100 prospects in Zyhir Hope and River Ryan, plus pitching prospect Brady Smith.
For the Mets, the timing matters. They are deep into sell mode after a disastrous 2026 season that had them sitting at 47-65 entering Sunday, and they have starting pitching to move. Clay Holmes and Freddy Peralta are both in that conversation, with Kodai Senga still lingering around the periphery.
The Skubal deal also sharpened the question facing sellers: how aggressive will contenders get now that the Dodgers have doubled down on their rotation and paired Skubal with World Series MVP Yoshinobu Yamamoto?
At least one answer came quickly. The Mariners sent veteran right-hander Luis Castillo to the Mets for reliever Seranthony Dominguez, outfielder Nolan Jones and catching prospect Boston Smith. Castillo, once viewed as an ace, is having a rough year, but the return still gives a sense of what clubs are willing to pay for pitching with name value and upside.
That is why Holmes could be the Mets’ best chance at a significant haul.
Holmes carries a $12 million player option ahead of 2027, and he sits near the top of the market among pitchers on expiring deals along with the Tigers’ Casey Mize and the Giants’ Robbie Ray. None of those arms matches Skubal’s ceiling, but all fit the No. 2 or No. 3 starter profile a contender can talk itself into chasing.
Holmes had been on an All-Star track before a fractured fibula interrupted things. In nine starts, he is 4-4 with a 2.39 ERA and a 1.10 WHIP.
Health is the obvious question, though. He is “at his moment” expected to make his third rehab start for High-A Brooklyn on Sunday, with a target of 70 to 75 pitches.
Peralta offers a different kind of trade puzzle, but one that looks familiar next to Castillo. Both are former frontline starters coming off down seasons.
Castillo is 3-9 with a 5.06 ERA and a 1.40 WHIP in 20 appearances for the Mariners. Peralta is 5-9 with a 4.99 ERA and a 1.48 WHIP in 22 starts for the Mets.
The contract situations separate them. Castillo is owed $7.8 million for the rest of this season and $22.75 million for 2027. Peralta, meanwhile, is headed for free agency after the season, which could make him especially appealing to a contender looking for a shorter commitment and a chance to buy low on higher-end ability.
The Mariners’ return from the Castillo deal also showed how clubs can use money to balance the equation. Dominguez’s remaining $2.1 million this season and $10 million for next year helped offset part of the cost.
That same logic could shape the market for Peralta. For a contender convinced it can unlock more, an expiring deal with upside may be exactly the kind of swing worth taking.
In Other News...
Mets Just Got A Harsh Reality Check On Holmes And Peralta
The market for pitching just got another reminder of how hard it is to cash in at the deadline, and the Mets are watching closely. With New York trying to line up meaningful returns for Clay Holmes and Freddy Peralta, the recent Tarik Skubal trade to the Dodgers offered a useful comparison point for how clubs are valuing arms and prospects right now.
For the Mets, the lesson is less about one deal than about what it says for their own talks. They can ask for premium talent in return, but the threshold for landing a top prospect is steep, and that reality shapes everything from who they dangle to how long they can hold out. If they want the kind of impact package they have in mind, they may have to navigate a market that is already signaling just how limited the pool really is. [Read more 🡒]
Kodai Senga Just Gave The Mets A Tough Deadline Decision
Kodai Senga has become one of the more interesting names hanging over the Mets as the trade deadline approaches, and not just because of the way this season has gone. The right-hander has struggled through an 0-8 start with an 8.66 ERA, while New York is widely expected to move several veterans before the deadline and reshape the roster around what comes next.
San Diego has already inquired about Sengas availability, adding another layer to a decision the Mets have to weigh carefully. Even with the rough numbers attached to this year, Senga is not a simple rental piece, and any talks would have to account for the fact that he remains part of the clubs plans beyond this season, which makes the price and timing of a deal far less straightforward. [Read more 🡒]
Mets Trade Leverage Just Changed For Clay Holmes And Freddy Peralta
Tarik Skubal landing with the Dodgers has shifted the starting-pitching market in a hurry, and the ripple effects reach all the way back to Queens. With one of the biggest arms moved, demand for available starters has only intensified, putting extra attention on Mets pitchers Clay Holmes and Freddy Peralta as the deadline approaches. New York is in position to benefit if other clubs get more aggressive, especially with a limited supply of impact arms available.
Holmes is working his way back from an injury and is scheduled for a rehab start, while Peralta was recently pulled from a start as teams looked to protect his health amid the trade buzz. Both are expected to move before the deadline, and the Mets are clearly in no rush to settle for a modest return. The market just got a little louder, and that could matter a lot for how the next few days unfold. [Read more 🡒]