MLB Rumors: NY Mets must change two philosophies if they trade for Tarik Skubal

For the past two seasons, the New York Mets have demonstrated a mastery of convincing themselves that pitching reclamation projects are a strategy, not just a symptom. Somewhere between the modest one-year deals and the 'we can fix him' optimism, they’ve built a philosophy that values potential bargains over proven arms—and suddenly, Detroit’s Cy Young candidate might be the one to expose it.

Tarik Skubal hasn’t been placed on the trade market—at least not officially yet—but when Jon Heyman reports that a $250 million gap exists between pitcher and team, even the most stable front office starts to twitch. If the Tigers choose to consider offers, the Mets will face more than a trade question. They’ll face a philosophical crisis, one that asks them to rethink two of their most defining baseball beliefs before the next ace slips right past them.

Tarik Skubal trade could push Mets to break pitching project habits and move top prospects

For the last two seasons, Stearns has built the Mets’ starting rotation like a garage project: grab veteran arms with upside, hope they hold together, and pray the glue sticks. Sean Manaea, Jose Quintana, Frankie Montas, Clay Holmes, Paul Blackburn—the list goes on—were all part of this “project first, proven later” approach. Some worked. Some didn’t. The 2024 rotation held up well enough, but in 2025, after a promising start, it crumbled spectacularly. The result? One of the primary reasons the Mets missed the postseason.

The harsh truth is the Mets need an ace. Not a project with upside, not someone who might last, but a proven starter who can take the ball every fifth day, deliver six-plus innings, and give the team a legitimate chance to win. Tarik Skubal, coming off another dominant season and looking poised for a second straight Cy Young, is exactly the type of impact arm the Mets have been missing.

Nolan McLean may offer a glimpse of the future, but leaning on him and other untested arms isn’t enough. To repair a rotation that has collapsed under its own experimentation, the Mets would have to step off the familiar path and add a bona fide frontline starter—the exact kind of player Stearns has historically avoided prioritizing.

Here’s the second philosophy that would need bending: the Mets may have to trade their top prospects to get it. The last trade deadline offered a cautionary tale—mid-level prospects shipped out for pieces that mostly fizzled. You can’t get one of baseball’s best arms by sticking to the bargain bin.

With the top-rated farm system in baseball, the temptation to hoard young talent is strong, but when the opportunity presents itself to add a proven ace, and with Steve Cohen’s wallet backing the deal, it’s almost reckless to sit on it. Sometimes, to win now, you must spend what you’ve built.

Chasing Skubal won’t be easy, and that’s the point. To pull it off, the Mets would have to abandon their comfort zone: stop leaning on pitching projects and start valuing proven talent enough to trade top prospects. It’s a rare chance to rewrite their own playbook. After all, the definition of crazy is doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result.