I bolded the portion in the first paragraph, will see what happens if he doesn’t stay in Detroit, his trade value was definitely higher last offseason.
# Could the Mets land an ace with Tarik Skubal potentially on the trade block?
Full article at link
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Outside of McLean, the Mets are probably willing to consider dealing any player in hypothetical trade talks. Skubal, though, is just a rental; executives suggested that it’d be unlikely for Boras to do an extension so close to free agency.
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Just to provide a general idea, one industry source unaffiliated with the club speculated Detroit may look to ask for two top-level starting pitchers and a position player prospect. In Mets parlance, that means something like Tong, Sproat and prospect Jett Williams. The Mets’ farm system ranks among the league’s best, but such a demand would significantly compromise its health. Perhaps it takes less or involves a major-league player or two; teams in recent years haven’t exactly received jaw-dropping returns for players entering their walk years.
Skubal’s situation draws some parallels to the Milwaukee Brewers trading Corbin Burnes two winters ago, but multiple high-ranking executives speculated that the cost should be greater to acquire Skubal. The Baltimore Orioles ended up dealing DL Hall and Joey Ortiz, plus a 2024 competitive balance round A draft pick. The executives suggested Skubal would require a greater return because the free-agent market is lacking.
If the Mets hold a similar viewpoint of the free agent class (which includes Framber Valdez, Ranger Suárez and Dylan Cease), then they’d have to operate in the trade market. That gets to the heart of the issue regarding any Skubal pursuit. Would it be worth trading for someone like, say, Freddy Peralta (whom the Brewers hold a team-friendly club option on) instead?
Peralta is very good. He just hit a career-high in innings (176 2/3). But in each of the last two seasons, Skubal has surpassed 190 innings. Peralta, 29, is just one example of a helpful pitcher who should be available, while requiring less of a return than Skubal. That’s because Peralta is not as good as Skubal.
Then again, who is?
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It’s unknown how far apart the sides would be today, but at this point, that may just be semantics. While it’s possible the Tigers, fresh off back-to-back postseason appearances, may hold onto Skubal, some executives around the league are figuring that Detroit will make the right-hander available based on the Post’s reporting.
