Tarik Skubal Profiled as Top Offseason Target for New York Mets

As the Mets enter the offseason needing top-of-the-rotation pitching, analysts urge an all-out pursuit of Tarik Skubal. Fresh off back-to-back Cy Young awards, Skubal posted a 2.72 ERA and 0.96 WHIP with 186 strikeouts over 158.2 innings in 2026 despite a brief absence for NanoScope elbow surgery. Because he was traded to the Dodgers midseason, he is ineligible for a qualifying offer, meaning he will cost only money—though a potential record-breaking deal and past elbow surgeries introduce risk.