At this point, the New York Mets would readily accept being viewed as the frontrunner for the Detroit Tigers’ $400 million arm. To some extent, the Mets were linked to Twins’ Joe Ryan. But that was before the reports insisted that they’re keeping him, along with Byron Buxton and Pablo Lopez. Given how the pitcher trade market is shrinking fast, the David Stearns doesn’t need to search any further to fix their rotation woes. A lone $400 million splash might be all they need.

Sal Licata of WFAN recently urged the Mets to stop looking elsewhere and focus solely on Tarik Skubal to bolster their rotation.

“Make a mega move in the offseason, and I’m thinking about the Mets. Think about what Skubal does to the Mets. And invigorating the fan base and the fanfare.“

“So you can’t tell me that Skubal, who maybe the Mets would be his best suitor, would be more valuable to them at the trade deadline than he is right now. They definitely have to give up less. So for me, that’s where the Mets should be. Not Joe Ryan and Buxton, not Peralta, it should be Skubal.”

For the Mets, getting a deal for Tarik Skubal would likely mean they’d have to give up one or two of their top prospects. In fact, Skubal is Scott Boras’s client. We saw his role in Juan Soto’s move to Queens, and it’s likely that he could play a similar role in shaping Tarik Skubal’s future.

After all, Boras is probably aware that the Mets will pay Skubal more than anybody else in the open market. It’s reasonable given the numbers Skubal has put up.

The 29-year-old dominated the American League over the past two seasons. For 2025, he also topped the league in WHIP (0.89), walks per nine innings (1.5), and strikeout-to-walk ratio (7.30).

His dominance carried into the postseason, where he pitched 7.2 one-run innings with 14 strikeouts in his Wild Card Series start.

He then followed that with a 2.08 ERA, 0.61 WHIP, and 22 strikeouts across 13 innings in two ALDS starts.

Now, as per Adam Jude of the Seattle Times, the Mariners have no plans to trade for back-to-back Cy Young winner Tarik Skubal this offseason. So one competitor is already down for the New York Mets.

The Mariners are out of the mix for Mets target

The Mariners are confident in their current rotation and are expected to return all five of their established starters. Yes, including Bryan Woo, Logan Gilbert, Luis Castillo, George Kirby, and Bryce Miller for the next season.

The rumor mill first started when, during early November, ESPN’s Buster Olney reported that the Mariners were expected to make a strong push for Mets’ target Skubal on the trade market.

Given that only one year was left on his rookie deal and no extension was close with the Tigers, it was said that Detroit could consider moving him.

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But this is the Mariners we’re talking about. They tend to avoid big free-agent spending. And Tarik Skubal is arguably one of the most expensive pitchers on the market. Realistically, only the Dodgers and the Mets can afford him.

So, targeting a relatively affordable ace seemed like a logical move. As logical as keeping Luis Castillo. The only understandable reason to trade Castillo would be to clear some payroll. However, since Seattle probably won’t find anyone willing to take on his full contract, it’s smarter to just keep him.