The New York Mets have some major needs to address in the offseason, and their starting rotation is just one of them.
Last season, the Mets' starters had a 4.47 ERA, and were a big reason as to why the team did not live up to expectations. The front office had hoped that Freddy Peralta would become their ace after they acquired him from the Milwaukee Brewers.
However, Peralta struggled and was traded away at the trade deadline. The Mets need to add starting pitching, and that fact is not lost on owner Steve Cohen, according to The Athletic's Jim Bowden.
"(Tarik) Skubal is the No. 1 priority of Steve Cohen, the owner of the Mets," Bowden said on CBS Sports on Wednesday. "Remember, he offered (Yoshinobu) Yamamoto $325 million before the (Los Angeles) Dodgers matched it."
Skubal is by far the best free agent available this offseason and he will sign a record-breaking contract this winter. He is reportedly expected to sign before the lockout, and the Mets are one of the few teams that can afford to pay him.
He was a great addition for the Dodgers, but he would make a great ace in Queens. The Mets have never shied away from spending big, and Skubal is exactly the kind of player Cohen goes after.
There are other pitchers on the market as well, but one of them is Freddy Peralta, who has already failed with the Mets. The other marquee pitcher on the market is Michael King, but the gap between him and Skubal is large.
Skubal alone won't fix the Mets' rotation, but he and Nolan McLean would be an elite one-two punch.