Tarik Skubal’s 2026 salary makes this future dream NY Mets trade target more viable

Tarik Skubal’s arbitration win over the Detroit Tigers is going to change the financial market in MLB with a shift toward increasing what other aces get in their final year before free agency. It doesn’t make much of a difference to the New York Mets right now. Soon enough, more frugal teams could think twice about even getting to the arbitration hearing.

If Skubal can get $32 million in his final year before arbitration, a $25 million deal is viable for many others. Starting pitcher salaries keep going up. When teams like the Milwaukee Brewers are selling Freddy Peralta with only an $8 million salary, others are sure to trade away their top starters projected to get much more.

Who should the Mets have their eye on in the future? A couple of names come to mind. No one seems more noticeable on Stearns’ vision board than Houston Astros pitcher Hunter Brown.

Hunter Brown is a Mets trade target waiting to happen

Brown doesn’t reach free agency until after the 2028 season. He’d be entering his age 29 season, turning 30 in August that year. Is anyone convinced the Astros will extend him early? Furthermore, are they going to let him play out his final arbitration year with a potentially large salary?

This is the same organization that has continually let their star players walk away in free agency. They traded Kyle Tucker away prior to the 2025 season. They operate like a large market team on a budget. They’ll groom stars, add new ones, and make roster decisions that fit comfortably into the team’s payroll plans.

Brown is coming off of an excellent 2025 season which had him finish third in the Cy Young race. He kept pace well with Skubal and runner-up Garrett Crochet. He’s right there on the uptrend to challenge for the away, maybe having to wait until Skubal possibly departs for the National League in free agency. There’s a team in Queens who’d love to have him for 2027.

There are sure to be more trade targets for the Mets along the way. Mid-2027 might be the earliest we could expect something, requiring the Astros to be trade deadline sellers and the Mets listed as buyers. He’s only in his first year of arbitration eligibility for 2026. Already at $5.7 million, he’s a trade candidate waiting to happen.