The Mets’ 2026 season went off the rails, but if the payoff is a run at Tarik Skubal, Steve Cohen may not mind opening the vault.
Bleacher Report’s Kerry Miller thinks New York will do exactly that, predicting the Mets land the left-hander on a six-year, $280 million contract in free agency. In Miller’s view, the bidding war ends the way so many others do when Cohen is involved: with the checkbook winning out.
“Most likely, though, it'll be Steven Cohen's checkbook winning this one," Miller writes. "Prediction: 6 years, $280M with the New York Mets.”
That kind of deal would be a huge swing for a team that dealt Freddy Peralta and Clay Holmes at the 2026 MLB trade deadline and then watched Kodai Senga and others underperform. The rotation needs help, and it needs a front-line arm. Skubal checks that box.
Now with the Los Angeles Dodgers, Skubal is headed for free agency after a season in which he has posted a 2.81 ERA and 3.1 bWAR. It’s been a quieter year than usual for him, but that’s tied to the elbow surgery that cost him a big chunk of the season.
Even with that setback, his résumé is still the kind that forces teams to dream big. Skubal won back-to-back Cy Young awards in 2024 and 2025 with the Detroit Tigers, then cashed in with a $32 million arbitration deal for the 2026 season.
The market figure to be brutal. Skubal is expected to get a record-breaking contract, and Miller’s projection would put him at a staggering $46.6 million average annual value over six years. That’s a monster number, but the total value race could get even more expensive.
Yoshinobu Yamamoto’s $325 million deal with the Dodgers is the current high-water mark for total money for a starting pitcher, and any team chasing Skubal may need to clear that bar. A longer contract could be the path there, while Miller’s six-year projection would at least give Skubal the highest APY ever for a starter.
For the Mets, the appeal is obvious. Pairing Skubal with Nolan McLean would give them the kind of rotation anchor they badly need after a disastrous 2026 season. However it happens, the idea of Skubal landing in Queens would be the kind of offseason jolt that can change the mood around the franchise fast.
In Other News...
Mrs. Met Gives Mets Fans A Rare Feel Good Franchise Milestone
The Mets had a little off-field celebration to go with the on-field grind this week, as the organization announced that Mrs. Met has been elected to the 2026 class of the Mascot Hall of Fame. It is a noteworthy milestone on its own, but it also gives the franchise something few clubs can claim: two mascots in the Hall, with Mrs. Met joining Mr. Met in that company.
For Mets fans, the honor is especially fitting because Mrs. Met has been part of the clubs identity for generations. She first appeared as Lady Met in the 1960s before settling in as a familiar presence alongside Mr. Met in the 1990s, and now she becomes the first female mascot to receive the Hall of Fame distinction. It is the kind of recognition that does not change the standings, but does add a rare feel-good line to the franchise record book. [Read more 🡒]
Mets Suddenly Face A Big Jonah Tong Question Again
Jonah Tongs latest trip through Triple-A Syracuse was a rough one, the kind of start that can shake up the conversation around a young arm even when the organization still believes in the larger picture. The Mets pitching prospect was tagged for six runs over five innings in his most recent outing, a night that included an eye-catching power barrage and added another dent to a season line that has been uneven on the surface.
Still, the Mets have not let one ugly start rewrite the scouting report. Tongs Triple-A numbers have been bumpy, but his strikeout and whiff rates remain the kind of indicators that keep evaluators interested, and Andy Green has continued to back him publicly as someone the club expects to keep developing. The question now is less about whether Tong has talent and more about how quickly he can turn that talent back into something the Mets can trust at the major league level. [Read more 🡒]