Mets to Meet With Left-Handed Ace Tarik Skubal Next Week

New York Mets officials are scheduled to meet with free agent pitcher Tarik Skubal in California next week following his 12-7 season in 2026.

The New York Mets are scheduled to meet with left-handed pitcher Tarik Skubal next week in California, a source told ESPN on Tuesday. Skubal, a two-time Cy Young Award winner, enters the offseason as a premier free agent after finishing the 2026 season with a 12-7 record and a 2.72 ERA over 158⅔ innings. During the 2026 campaign, he missed six weeks to undergo arthroscopic surgery on his left elbow, his third arm operation since a 2017 Tommy John procedure.

Los Angeles Dodgers general manager Brandon Gomes also confirmed his team expects to meet with the pitcher in the coming days. Skubal finished last season in Los Angeles after being traded from the Detroit Tigers for three prospects at the trade deadline. The Dodgers currently have a projected $262 million payroll for 2028, while the Mets have approximately $197 million on their books for that year. Both clubs must navigate a potential salary cap in the next collective bargaining agreement.

Skubal, who turns 30 on Nov. 20, is expected to seek a contract surpassing the $43.3 million annual average value record held by Max Scherzer and Justin Verlander. The current record for total guarantee for a pitcher is Yoshinobu Yamamoto's $325 million deal. Mets president of baseball operations David Stearns, who has historically avoided long-term deals for pitchers in their early 30s, declined to comment on the pursuit during the general manager meetings in Las Vegas.