The New York Mets need an ace this winter, and they are taking a big step towards getting the best pitcher on the market. Tarik Skubal, who would fill the Mets’ biggest need, is set to meet with them in California next week, Jon Heyman of the New York Post reports.

https://t.co/6ulD7exYmH Exclusive: Mets have meeting scheduled with superstar free agent Tarik Skubal

— Jon Heyman (@JonHeyman) November 10, 2026

Heyman notes that Skubal and agent Scott Boras are set to meet with interested teams throughout the week, specifically mentioning the Mets and San Diego Padres as parties to watch. Skubal’s current team, the Los Angeles Dodgers, has kept their cards close to their chest but may be a factor if the process drags out.

The other interesting nugget from Heyman’s report is that Skubal intends to sign before Dec. 1, which is when baseball’s current collective bargaining agreement is set to expire. Even though signing Skubal is a big departure from how David Stearns traditionally builds rotations, he may be a notable exception to Stearns’ general aversion to long-term deals for starters.

Why the Mets need to move quickly to secure Tarik Skubal’s services

There are two significant advantages to the Mets moving quickly to offer Skubal a long-term deal that he may accept. The first involves the CBA, which could radically change the rules of engagement for potential free agents if the league either adopts a salary cap or adopts more restrictive penalties for exceeding the luxury tax.

Any deals signed before the lockout would need to be grandfathered into the new CBA, which is noteworthy, with Skubal seeking a deal of at least seven years. Some of the league’s bargaining proposals limit the term of a free agent contract, which would incentivize Skubal to get his years in case something changes.

The Mets are actually well-positioned to take on a long-term Skubal contract and fit into a potential salary cap world, especially if there is a grace period for teams to get cap-compliant. Stearns has done a good job limiting long-term money on the Mets’ books, with the only players under guaranteed deals beyond the 2028 season being Francisco Lindor and Juan Soto.

The other benefit of getting a Skubal deal done pre-lockout is that it allows them to avoid the potential of having other teams creep into the conversation once the work stoppage is resolved.

Heyman notes that several teams aren’t sure how to operate this winter due to the uncertainty over the sport’s future economic structure, and more certainty could entice them to jump into the bidding for Skubal.

The Dodgers could factor into the latter scenario since they have a lot of long-term payroll obligations and appear hesitant to extend another long-term contract in case a cap does come into existence. If Skubal is still sitting in the market post-lockout, the Dodgers would become a much bigger threat given their vast financial resources.

Sometimes, a fit between a player and a team makes too much sense to ignore, and that certainly appears to be the case here with Skubal and the Mets. What Skubal can give them in the short term should significantly outweigh any long-term injury concerns, making this a situation where the Mets need to act aggressively to land his services.

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