These pleasant 2026 NY Mets developments remove any excuse to not sign Tarik Skubal

It might be a battle of two teams to sign Tarik Skubal and maybe not a very competitive one from one side. The Los Angeles Dodgers are getting the Skubal experience early with the New York Mets lurking as their biggest competition.

When a tree falls in the forest and no one is around to hear it, does it make a sound? Nobody knows. But when a top-tier free agent becomes available, you better believe Steve Cohen’s money begins to cry for it.

You’re going to hurt your shoulder trying to come up with excuses as to why the Mets shouldn’t sign. They’re probably not much different from anything someone could pitch about Juan Soto. Sure, putting all of your eggs into one basket is risky, but so is trying to outsmart everyone by trying to do things a different way. Thanks to some surprising developments in 2026, the Mets have lost all excuses to avoid signing Skubal.

Even more reasons why the Mets need to sign Tarik Skubal

The Mets rotation could be complete by just signing him

The Mets have some wiggle room with their rotation. They could always demote Zac Thornton and try to see if they can develop him further. They can also keep him around. Sean Manaea has been good enough to slot in at the back of the rotation. Nolan McLean is having the kind of year that has flown somewhat under the radar simply because expectations were way too high. Then there’s Christian Scott who seems like he’s probably more of a middle-or-the-rotation arm than a top guy, but with room to grow.

That’s five right there when you toss in Skubal, the missing element. The Mets thought they were getting an ace with Freddy Peralta in 2026. Skubal is a whole level higher. If Skubal was to hypothetically make $44 million per year on his new deal, aren’t they better off paying him instead of signing two $22 million players? Financially, it just seems to make more sense to put your expenses into such a sure thing.

The Mets bullpen already has multiple affordable options

Despite ripping the bullpen apart at the trade deadline, the Mets relievers have done pretty good in August. If we had to build a bullpen for next year, we can already start to get deep with Devin Williams, Kodai Senga, Daniel Duarte, Jonathan Pintaro, Nate Lavender, and Austin Warren. Of course, a couple of those guys are optional and should flow between the majors and minors if available. The Mets should still be in the market to add another top lefty arm and a righty. The verdict on Senga hasn’t come in yet fully, but it’s promising.

David Stearns probably has a budget for the starting pitchers and the relievers separate from each other. These credible relievers making baseball pennies can help give the Mets an excuse to allocate a little more cash toward signing Skubal. Stearns needs to bend if Skubal comes to the Mets. He gets to build a smart yet not obvious relief corps in the process.

Jared Young looks like a worthwhile gamble at first base again

It’s such a weird situation with Jared Young. On one hand, he seems to have won the bulk of playing time at first. He’s hitting well, playing good defense, and in a platoon situation he’d be the heavier hand. If this is indeed the route the Mets go, it’s hard to see how there are any other moves they could make for the position player group other than shuffling some chairs. For instance, they could trade Marcus Semien for a longer bad contract.

Young’s strong play is exactly the type of development Stearns needed to prove his first base logic. After letting Pete Alonso walk, Young is the one bright spot in what has otherwise been a disaster at first base. Find the right platoon partner on the cheap and take that cash, write a check, and make it out to Skubal.

Carson Benge and A.J. Ewing were ready quicker than expected

Carson Benge took a few weeks to look like a big leaguer and A.J. Ewing has faded in the second-half. Regardless of how things have gone for Ewing lately, he feels like a major leaguer. Hit him ninth, ideally, and accept the defense and stolen bases he’ll give you. As for Benge, he’s profiling as anything from a top of the order guy to someone who belongs in the middle.

Rookie jitters haven’t gotten the best of either outfielder and with both of them on league minimum contracts, you need to pay money to positions of need. None has been greater this year than in the starting rotation. The Mets have tried just about everything but paying a star ace in free agency. The Mets were already in the market to add an outfielder of some kind this offseason. Likely not in the market for a starter anyway, this is a spot to sign a guy to give them some veteran depth that won't break the bank or Stearns' preference of lengthy deals.

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