The Detroit Tigers are staring down at one of the biggest off-season decisions they need to make—what do they do with Tarik Skubal? After a rather dominant year and a near miss in the ALDS, Skubal has now become the trade chip of the winter. But here is the catch—he is entering his final year under contract, and most importantly, he is a Scott Boras client. For him, right now, an extension before free agency is almost delusional.

Sure, Skubal has made it clear that he loves the city, and Detroit does love him back, too—but while B is for baseball, B is also for the business. And if you are being real, there is no precedent for the Tigers matching the amount that Skubal would be commanding. You are talking about a $400 million-plus category! Justin Verlander and even Max Scherzer once were at the same crossroads, and they both moved on.

Hence, it looks like Skubal’s move is inevitable. And here is where the warning bells ring, given MLB insider Sean McAdam has a huge question. For him, any team trading for Skubal this offseason “would be foolish and deserves what it gets.” His reasoning? “Skubal is represented by Scott Boras… the likelihood of a new team extending the ace lefty is almost negligible.” And McAdam pointed to the Yankees and their failed attempt to trade and extend Juan Soto, who is another Boras client. Everyone knows how that story ended! But that being said, the Yankees could be interested.

See, the big spenders will try, and the Yankees, for once, could justify taking that risk. Their rotation has Gerrit Cole and Max Fried, and adding Skubal could transform them even more. Brian Cashman knows that they need to make a big move to rebound from the season they had this time. Skubal checks in the box of youth, dominance, and postseason potential. The Yankees could bring a deal around George Lombard Jr., whose father is Detroit’s bench coach, along with arms like Cam Schlittler or Luis Gil.

Then there are the New York Mets, who might be even more aggressive; Steve Cohen has the deep pockets and even the motivation to push for that short-term splash. The rotation does need an ace behind Kodai Senga, and Skubal could change their ceiling. But the huge elephant in the room is who and what the Mets have to give up to get him.

Can the Mets pull off a Tarik Skubal trade without giving up top prospects?

The New York Mets’ September collapse made one thing clear—they badly need an ace who can stop the bleeding for them when things go south. And Skubal could be one player who can really change things for them. And given the trade block, a blockbuster could be brewing in Queens. But here is the main twist—the Mets might not have to sacrifice their best young arms to get him.

Because earlier, it was said that the Mets might need to give away four players to land him! But a new report does suggest that New York could land Skubal without even giving up their prized possession like Jonah Tong and Nolan McLean. Instead, the deal would be around the right-hander Brandon Sprat, who is already close to being MLB-ready. Baseball Night in New York, Elizabeth Benn laid out the trade that made sense for both sides.

The Detroit Tigers get Brandon Sproat, Jett Williams, Ryan Clifford, and Nick Morabito.
The New York Mets get Tarik Skubal.

Benn said, “Sproat is a major league-ready pitcher, Williams could start in the major leagues next year, Clifford’s almost there, and Morabito is a Rule-5 [prospect] but also brings value, and it’s a really good mix of guys the Tigers might be interested in, but also you’re not giving up McLean…And the reason you’re not is you’re getting Skubal for one year.”

It is a valid point given Skubal’s under team control through 2026, but with the free agency looking, the Mets could essentially be renting him for a season. Giving long-term prospect pieces might be too much of a gamble; they might not take it. Right now Will Sammon of the Athletics does think that the Tigers could demand more, possibly adding Carson Benge and Tong to sweeten the deal. But asking won’t help; being in the middle is what will help.