For the New York Mets, money has never been the biggest obstacle to landing baseball’s biggest stars. Steve Cohen proved that by committing a staggering $765 million to Juan Soto, raising expectations for what the franchise could achieve with its financial muscle. However, when a $345 million payroll fails to deliver a postseason berth, even the deepest pockets cannot escape scrutiny. Now, with Tarik Skubal reportedly emerging as another potential blockbuster target, MLB insider Ken Rosenthal is unsure if this could work out.

While Rosenthal acknowledges that Cohen has the financial power to make a $350 million-plus deal possible, he remains unconvinced that New York is the right destination for the Tigers ace.

“Jon Heyman has reported about two other teams that will meet with Skubal next week. They’re mystery teams, so we don’t know who they are, if they indeed exist. We will just have to see. I have not been able to figure out who else might be involved here. But those four teams-the Dodgers, Mets, Blue Jays, and Padres would seem to be the most obvious ones. I know there’s a feeling out there among a lot of people that the Mets are the favorites. I’m not sure, and it remains to be seen. All it takes is one snap of Steve Cohen’s fingers to make it happen for the Mets. David Stearns, in general, has not loved long-term deals for starting pitchers. But at this point, Stearns might not have the choice,” Rosenthal said via Foul Territory.

Throughout his nearly decade-long tenure running the Milwaukee Brewers and his first three seasons with the Mets, Stearns has strictly avoided giving long-term contracts to starting pitchers.

Since joining New York, the longest and richest contract Stearns has issued to a pitcher is Sean Manaea’s three-year, $75 million deal prior to the 2025 season. That agreement was already more than triple the size of any pitching contract Stearns authorized in Milwaukee.

Even when Cohen spent aggressively on aces like Max Scherzer (three years, $130 million) and Justin Verlander (two years, $86.7 million) before Stearns arrived, the Mets opted for short terms with massive annual salaries rather than decade-long commitments. The lone exception to Stearns’ rule was pursuing Yoshinobu Yamamoto (who signed for 12 years, $325 million with the Dodgers), though Yamamoto was 25 years old at the time.

Still, despite these organizational tendencies, Skubal represents a rare, generational exception. He is the first pitcher to hit free agency, having won two of the previous three Cy Young Awards, and the Mets are desperate for a true frontline ace after missing the playoffs in back-to-back seasons.

So, Tarik Skubal could be the rare occurrence for the Mets.