Baseball's biggest free agent is about to sit down with a team that just might have the money to land him.
The New York Mets have scheduled a meeting with star free-agent pitcher Tarik Skubal sometime during the week of Nov. 10, 2026, according to league sources, as the two-time AL Cy Young Award winner enters the open market as the clear top prize of the offseason.
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Mets Tarik Skubal Meeting Comes Together During GM Meetings
The news broke as MLB's general managers gathered this week, with MLB Network insider Jon Heyman first reporting that the Mets and Skubal would talk soon. MLB.com's Anthony DiComo then confirmed the meeting through a separate league source, adding real weight to the report even though neither the Mets nor Skubal's camp has said anything publicly yet.
Heyman described Skubal as New York's clear top target right now, writing that the pitcher "understandably seems to be their main target at the moment." He went a step further in later reporting, calling the Mets "probably the favorite" to land him, though he stopped short of saying a deal was close or guaranteed.
The sit-down is expected to happen in California, where Skubal is reportedly meeting with several interested teams, likely at the offices of his agent, Scott Boras. That location suggests the Mets are just one stop on a busy travel schedule for the pitcher as he weighs his options heading into the heart of free agency season.
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Why Skubal Is the Name Every Team Wants This Winter
Skubal isn't just another arm on the market. He's won back-to-back AL Cy Young Awards and is widely viewed as the best player available in the 2026-27 free-agent class. Pitchers with his résumé almost never actually make it to free agency, which is exactly why his meetings are drawing so much attention around the league.
He'll also turn 30 on Nov. 20, a detail that matters a lot in these talks. Any team signing him will be committing serious money to a pitcher who is about to enter his 30s, even though his recent performance puts him in a different tier than almost anyone else on the market.
The Los Angeles Dodgers loom as serious competition. They acquired Skubal from the Detroit Tigers before the 2026 trade deadline, sending three prospects to Detroit to get him. That means the Dodgers already know exactly what they're getting, but keeping him now means beating out other teams in open bidding instead of simply holding onto his rights.
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New York's interest makes a lot of sense given its recent history. The Mets signed Juan Soto to a 15-year, $765 million contract before the 2025 season, the richest deal in baseball history, and they also pursued Kyle Tucker hard during last offseason. Owner Steve Cohen has made it clear he's willing to spend at levels few other owners can match.
Still, there's an internal wrinkle worth watching. President of baseball operations David Stearns has reportedly been cautious about handing out very long, very expensive contracts to pitchers specifically. Skubal's case could test that caution, since elite, durable starters this good rarely become available, and passing on him would be a notable decision for Stearns to defend.
Beyond Skubal, the Mets have other needs to fill this winter, including first base and bullpen help. But starting pitching stands out as the most urgent priority in the reporting, which is exactly why this meeting carries so much weight heading into the following weeks.
Crowded Market Means Mets Aren't the Only Suitor
New York is far from alone in this chase. The San Diego Padres have already expressed interest in Skubal, according to reporting from MLB Network's Jon Morosi, and the San Francisco Giants, Philadelphia Phillies and Toronto Blue Jays have also been mentioned as possible players in the bidding. That means the Mets, even as an early reported favorite, will need to beat out a genuinely deep field.
There's also a ticking clock hanging over the entire process. Skubal is reportedly hoping to get a deal done before Dec. 2, 2026, when Major League Baseball could impose a lockout and freeze transactions amid labor talks with the players' union. That date gives agents and front offices real incentive to move quickly rather than letting talks drag into the new year.
Elsewhere at the GM meetings, the Texas Rangers are reportedly considering whether to explore trading shortstop Corey Seager, though sources caution any deal would be difficult to pull off and it remains unclear whether Seager would even accept a trade to a new team. That storyline, combined with the Skubal sweepstakes, is shaping up to be one of the most active hot-stove stretches in recent memory, with the Mets' meeting standing as the most closely watched development of the week.
