When the 2026 MLB season ends following the World Series, all eyes will be on where two-time AL Cy Young Award winner Tarik Skubal signs in the offseason.

Skubal is expected to sign a record-setting contract this offseason, as the hard-throwing lefty has solidified himself as one of baseball's dominant starting pitchers. While many teams are expected to show interest in Skubal, the New York Mets should be right up there.

For the second year in a row, starting pitching was an issue for New York and was one reason they fell well short of expectations. If the Mets chose to pursue Skubal, what kind of contract would the ballclub offer the lefty hurler?

Why the Mets can afford Tarik Skubal

Six years after purchasing the Mets, Steve Cohen has proven he is willing to open his wallet and sign free agents to big contracts. One perfect example is when the Amazins' signed Juan Soto to a record-setting 15-year, $765 million deal in December 2024. I'm not saying the Mets would offer Skubal that type of contract, but they have shown in the past that they try to sign free-agent starters to huge deals.

During the 2023-2024 offseason, the Mets aggressively pursued Yoshinobu Yamamoto after the Nippon Professional Baseball League posted the Japanese phenom. The aforementioned Cohen and president of baseball operations David Stearns even traveled to Japan to meet him.

Yamamoto, of course, signed a 12-year, $325 million contract with the Los Angeles Dodgers and has since won two World Series and been named World Series MVP last season. While the Mets lost the Yamamoto pursuit to the Dodgers, Cohen and company have shown that when a prized free-agent starter is on the market, they will be interested.

Prediciting a Tarik Skubal Mets contract

In a recent article for SNY.tv, MLB insider Chelsea Janes reported a "general consensus" that if Cohen pursues Skubal in free agency, the Mets will pay "whatever it takes to get him."

To put that in perspective, recent starting-pitching free-agent contracts include Max Fried signing an eight-year, $218 million deal with the New York Yankees in December 2024.

Dylan Cease signed a seven-year, $210 million deal with the Toronto Blue Jays in December 2025, and Corbin Burnes inked a six-year, $210 million contract with the Arizona Diamondbacks in December 2024.

Skubal, a two-time AL Cy Young Award winner, has certainly proven to be one of the more dominant starting pitchers across baseball over the last couple of seasons. He may very well exceed the contracts Fried, Cease, and Burnes inked.

Given Skubal's success and the Mets signing Soto to a lucrative $765 million deal, it wouldn't be shocking if the lefty secured a 10-year, $350 million deal from New York. A contract like that would completely reset the market for starting pitchers, much like Soto's deal did. Soto's deal with the Mets also includes a no-trade clause, so it would not be a total shock if the Mets gave Skubal that as well

With the Mets in dire need of a veteran ace for the rotation and Cohen having proven of pursuing big-time free agents, Skubal seems like the perfect match.