Former New York Mets star and current television analyst Ron Darling does not seem sold on the idea of forking over a record-shattering contract to Tarik Skubal despite being the best pitcher in MLB.

Despite having the biggest payroll in baseball (without deferrals), the Mets were the biggest disappointment in the league this season by finishing dead last in the NL East with a 74-88 record.

Before an expected lockout takes hold on Dec. 1, many teams are expected to be aggressive in the early days of free agency, including New York. The player they are expected to make a serious push for is the two-time Cy Young winner.

Mets owner Steve Cohen has proven multiple times that he is willing to spend big to improve the roster. That is what he will have to do to land Skubal. An elite player expected to get the richest contract ever given to a pitcher.

Ron Darling warns New York Mets about spending big for Tarik Skubal

However, the Mets and TBS TV analyst doesn’t seem in favor of the idea of giving a player that can’t go deep into games what might be a $500-plus million contract.

“Skubal is a very special pitcher and any one is better the day they sign him,” Darling began by saying. “This is my only issue with starting pitchers. Over five or six innings they give you 10 strikeouts. Run prevention is off the hook. Guys are routinely in the ones in ERA or low twos. Which is amazing.

“The problem you have is these great players you are gonna pay a lot of money only pitch two thirds of the game. And that is on the high end. The most you’re gonna get is two thirds of a game. That’s like LeBron James or Tom Brady not playing in the fourth quarter. So how valuable is that? How far do you go? Is it the difference maker you still think it is because you have to get nine outs.”

It’s a fair case Darling makes, and it’s coming from a former big league pitcher. The fact that the Tampa Bay Rays and Milwaukee Brewers are not paying obscene sums for pitching backs up the idea as well.

Should the Mets spend half a billion for Skubal next month?