The New York Mets have a tough choice to make this offseason: trade four promising young players to get Detroit Tigers pitcher Tarik Skubal, who is at the top of his game and could change the direction of the franchise’s championship path. The trade that has been suggested is a high-risk, high-reward situation that could give the team the front-line ace it desperately needs while also destroying the organization’s carefully built pipeline of prospects.

Steve Phillips, the former general manager of the Mets, talked about the framework on MLB Network, giving a clear plan for how to get it.

“The trade I have is Tarik Skubal’s. He’s going to get down from the Detroit Tigers. I have him go to the New York Mets. In return, they can bring back two power arms in Brandon Sproat and Jonah Tong. They need to replace Gleyber Torres at second base with Luisangel Acuña, and then Brett Baty; they can slot him in at third base,” Phillips stated on air.

He continued, “I think they can answer a lot of questions by trading Tarik Skubal to the Mets. That’s the deal I see for the Tigers and Mets.” The reasoning makes sense.

The Tigers would get two top-five Mets prospects, and New York would fill important gaps in its roster with Tarik, who can help right away to compete.

The New York Mets would get LHP Tarik Skubal in exchange for RHP Brandon Sproat, RHP Jonah Tong, INF Luisangel Acuña, and INF Brett Baty. The Tigers get controllable young talent, and New York gets the ace player.

The left-handed pitcher had a 13-6 record with a 2.21 ERA, 0.891 WHIP, and 241 strikeouts in 2025. Such production makes him the dominant starter the Mets need after their September collapse, when inconsistent pitching cost the team playoffs.

Skubal’s departure is almost certain because the Tigers can’t pay him as much as he wants. Jon Heyman said on October 16 that they were at least $250 million apart in talks after Detroit turned down a four-year deal.

As Skubal gets closer to winning two Cy Young Awards in a row, the price he wants goes up every day. Meanwhile, agent Scott Boras wants to get free agency and the biggest contract ever for a pitcher. The difference is probably more than $300 million now. Detroit has to make a choice: pay more money or trade Skubal for younger players.

Mets add Joey Gerber as Stearns builds depth beyond Skubal pursuit

While the team thinks about the Skubal deal, general manager David Stearns bought Joey Gerber from the Rays for cash, as reported by MLB.com’s Anthony DiComo.

The 28-year-old had a 2.43 ERA in 33.1 innings with the Yankees at Double-A and Triple-A, but he had a 6.23 ERA in Triple-A overall. Gerber’s walk rate has been cut down to 3.1 per nine innings with a strikeout rate of 11.2. However, his home run rate, which is almost two per nine innings, is still a problem.

In four innings with Tampa Bay in the major leagues, Gerber gave up one run on three hits. Since he hasn’t played in the big leagues in four years, he needs to be used carefully at Triple-A, where he still has one minor league option left. If his speed and control stay steady against Triple-A competition, the Mets can strategically activate him.

Stearns’ approach is to combine high-quality ace targets like Skubal with low-cost depth signings, as he did this offseason. The Gerber signing doesn’t cost much and gives the organization more freedom. If Gerber can get back to the form he was in with the Yankees in early 2024, when he had a 2.43 ERA, the Mets will have a reliable bullpen guy.

If not, they don’t have to pay much to the organization either. This two-pronged approach strikes a balance between big goals and smart cost control. It lets the company go after championship-level trades while keeping its bullpen depth through carefully planned reclamation projects.