As of the morning of Sept. 4, Los Angeles Dodgers ace Tarik Skubal is expected to become the top prize of free agency following the upcoming World Series. 

Meanwhile, a 63-77 New York Mets team that entered Friday in last place in the National League East standings has both a need for starting pitching and an owner who is willing to buy talent in Steve Cohen. During Thursday's edition of SNY's "Mets Mailbag" program, MLB insider Chelsea Janes discussed whether New York should be considered a favorite to land Skubal. 

David Stearns doesn't have a history of making a long-term commitment to somebody like Tarik Skubal

"My brain says no way," Janes said about the Mets potentially signing Skubal. "I think that (Mets president of baseball operations) David Stearns hates giving out long contracts for pitchers. I know that. He doesn’t want to pay a ton upfront to bring in a guy like Tarik Skubal, who you might lose a year to Tommy John (surgery). That’s just how these things go and who might get worse on the back end. So, that’s not his style."

Stearns' history of not wanting to sign free-agent pitchers to long-term deals has been consistent since he joined the Mets in the fall of 2023. He also seemingly prefers to attach big sums of money to short-term contracts to win the signatures of free agents. 

That said, Stearns' controversial moves from this past offseason mostly blew up in his face, as the Mets are now near the very bottom of the overall league standings. While Cohen insisted in August that he is still "committed" to Stearns, Cohen also acknowledged at that time that Stearns has made mistakes since the Mets completed a trip to the 2024 National League Championship Series.

"Steve Cohen has said this a few times that, look, we have to play in reality," Janes continued. "If reality suggests to us that the only way we can get really good starting pitching is to play in those long-term deals, then we might have to adjust our strategy. So those two things put together mean there’s going to be conversations. There’s no doubt about it. It’s just a question of how hard they push and what kind of deal they’re willing to give [Skubal]."

Would Tarik Skubal reject the Dodgers for the Mets? 

Of course, the Dodgers are among the teams that can compete financially with the Mets for big-name free agents. Additionally, the perception exists that players who feature for the Mets or the New York Yankees face more pressure as it pertains to media and fan scrutiny than do those who play for the Dodgers. 

"I don’t know if he ends up loving L.A.," Janes added about Skubal, who was traded by the Detroit Tigers to the Dodgers in early August. "I think if the Dodgers want him, the Dodgers get him at this point. He’s been there, et cetera. But it’s an interesting question because the Dodgers also tend to run starting pitchers into the ground in October. Who knows where that’s going to leave Skubal? So it’s really tough for me to say. I think the Mets will play for him. I think they’ll make an attempt, but whether it’s sort of a, 'We got to try attempt' or, like, 'We want this guy, we’re going to do what it takes' attempt, I’m not sure. I do think there’s a chance that the money ends up winning out. If that’s the case, Steve Cohen can compete with anybody for him."