The Blue Jays are making a serious run at the biggest name on the market.
According to the New York Post’s Jon Heyman, Toronto has lined up a meeting with left-handed starter Tarik Skubal, who stands as the top free agent in this year’s class. Heyman reported that “The big-market Blue Jays are a player in the sweepstakes for superstar free agent Tarik Skubal, and they are expected to join the Mets, Padres and Dodgers in meeting with the two-time Cy Young winner in California next week, sources tell the Post,”
If Toronto gets Skubal, it would be landing the best starting pitcher available for a second straight offseason.
The Blue Jays brought in Dylan Cease last winter on a seven-year, $210 million deal, and he’s likely to finish second in AL Cy Young voting behind New York Yankees ace Cam Schlittler. That move set the tone for Toronto’s rotation plan, and the club has already dealt with plenty of turnover and injury trouble on the mound.
Trey Yesavage, Max Scherzer, Shane Bieber, Jameson Taillon, and Cody Ponce - who made one start - all spent time on the IL during the season. At the trade deadline, Toronto added Jose Soriano and Spencer Arrighetti as the front office worked to keep the roster balanced while also managing the sell-off side of the deadline.
Skubal, meanwhile, kept producing at a high level in 2026 even after undergoing surgery to remove loose bodies from his throwing elbow.
Toronto is coming off a disappointing fifth-place finish in the AL East, and a move for Skubal would be a major swing at a bounce-back year. It would also be a costly one.
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The Mets have been scanning for left-handed relief help, and Darwinzon Hernandez has surfaced as a name worth watching after a stint in Japan that reportedly came with improved performance metrics. A lefty with major league experience and a fresh track record overseas is the kind of low-risk, upside play that can make sense for a bullpen that needs another option from that side.
Hernandez is also in a favorable spot for a team like New York because he still has minor league options, which gives a club some roster flexibility if it wants to bring him in and evaluate him without an immediate long-term commitment. The contract expectation is modest compared with what pitchers with similar numbers usually command, so the question now is less about price and more about whether the Mets decide this is the right place to add another arm. [Read more 🡒]
Mets Face A Bigger Tarik Skubal Battle Than Expected
The pitching market is already starting to take shape, and Tarik Skubal sits at the center of it. According to Jon Heyman of the New York Post, the Blue Jays have arranged a meeting with the free agent left-hander, who is widely viewed as the top arm available this winter, putting Toronto squarely in the mix as clubs begin lining up for a chance to bolster their rotations.
For the Mets, that only makes the pursuit more complicated. They are expected to be in the hunt along with the Padres and Dodgers, but Torontos entry adds another heavyweight to a chase that figures to be crowded from the start, especially with the Blue Jays eager to rebuild a staff that was hit by injuries and ended in disappointment in the AL East. [Read more 🡒]
Mets Have Made One Lineup Fix Their Clear Offseason Priority
The Mets have already narrowed one of their biggest offseason questions to a single spot. President of baseball operations David Stearns said adding a first baseman is a top priority this winter, even as Jared Young is expected to remain part of the plan there next season. The idea is not to overhaul the position so much as to give the lineup a more balanced look, with the club wanting a right-handed bat to pair with Young.
New York is expected to pursue that help either in free agency or via trade, with Ty France, Paul Goldschmidt and Alec Bohm among the names in the mix. Elsewhere, the Mets sound comfortable with their internal options, and Marcus Semien is expected to compete for playing time at second base. For a team trying to fine-tune rather than rebuild, first base has become the clearest place to shop. [Read more 🡒]