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Sports · North America

Mets may need to outbid Dodgers for Tarik Skubal, reports say

The New York Mets may need to compete with the Los Angeles Dodgers to sign Tarik Skubal, while reports say owner Steve Cohen is prepared to match major offers. Skubal's preference remains uncertain, and his agent Scott Boras is positioned to pursue a record-setting contract.

AI-assisted synthesis · Based on 4 outlets' reporting · Article text read from 3 of 4 outletsHow it's made

View timeline · 7 entries
4 outletsLatest reporting 3 min read
Coverage: Too few ratedL 0 · C 1 · R 0 · 3 unrated

What happened

Key facts

  • The New York Mets may need to enter a bidding contest to sign Tarik Skubal this offseason (per risingapple.com, dose.ca).
  • SNY insider Chelsea Janes said she expects the Mets to match any major offer Skubal receives (per risingapple.com, dose.ca).
  • Janes reported a consensus that Mets owner Steve Cohen would pay whatever it takes if he wants Skubal (per risingapple.com, Yahoo, dose.ca).
  • The Los Angeles Dodgers also have the financial resources to pursue Skubal (per risingapple.com, firstsportz.com, dose.ca).
  • Skubal's agent, Scott Boras, negotiated Gerrit Cole's nine-year, $324 million contract with the New York Yankees, described as the richest contract for a starting pitcher in MLB history (per risingapple.com).
  • Boras negotiated Juan Soto's 15-year, $765 million contract with the Mets, described as the richest in professional sports (per risingapple.com).
  • Skubal won back-to-back Cy Young Awards in 2024 and 2025 (per risingapple.com).
  • Dose.ca reported that Skubal had declined to comment on whether he would sign a long-term contract with the Dodgers (per dose.ca, risingapple.com, firstsportz.com).

The brief

The New York Mets may need to compete with the Los Angeles Dodgers to sign Tarik Skubal, and SNY insider Chelsea Janes said she expects the Mets to match any major offer. Janes also described a consensus that Mets owner Steve Cohen would pay whatever it takes if he wants Skubal.

That account presents matching a rival bid as potentially insufficient, since the Dodgers also have the money to pursue the pitcher. The contract question has come into focus after the Dodgers' season ended.

FirstSportz reported that the Dodgers were swept 4-0 by the Milwaukee Brewers in the National League Championship Series and that the series ended with a 6-4 loss in Game 4. It also reported that Skubal joined the Dodgers from the Detroit Tigers before the trade deadline and made 10 starts, going 5-2 with a 2.61 ERA and 70 strikeouts.

Those season and postseason details provide context for his position in the free-agent market, but they do not establish which club he will choose. Skubal has not publicly stated whether he intends to sign with the Dodgers. Dose.ca reported that he declined to comment on a long-term Dodgers contract.

FirstSportz published his post-elimination remark: “I’m not going to comment on my future really at all. Today sucks, you know, and that’s kind of where my head’s at.” The statement leaves his plans open; it is not a commitment to either club. The Mets' potential financial commitment is one part of the contest.

Rising Apple cited Janes's account of Cohen's willingness to pay whatever it takes, while also noting that the Dodgers have the financial resources to pursue Skubal. Dose.ca separately reported that the Mets intend to match offers brought to Boras. That report describes a matching strategy, not a final offer or an agreement with the player.

The available accounts therefore point to competition over a highly valued pitcher without confirming the eventual terms or destination. Boras's record negotiating major contracts is relevant to the scale of the bidding.

Rising Apple said he negotiated Gerrit Cole's nine-year, $324 million contract with the New York Yankees, which it described as the highest for a starting pitcher in MLB history. The outlet also cited Boras's negotiation of Juan Soto's 15-year, $765 million contract with the Mets, described as the largest in professional sports.

Skubal's consecutive Cy Young Awards in 2024 and 2025 add to the profile that clubs are weighing, but no source reports a contract amount for him. Dose.ca reported that Skubal might want to sign before December 1, which it described as the date of a potential lockout; it also said he may want to sign before a potential salary cap takes effect.

These are reported possibilities, not confirmed decisions or an announced lockout or cap. The next concrete questions are whether the Mets make an offer, whether the Dodgers pursue him, and whether either club can secure an agreement with Boras and Skubal.

Why it matters

  • The Mets and Dodgers are the named potential bidders, and matching offers may not settle the contest if both clubs pursue Skubal.
  • Boras has negotiated contracts of $324 million for Gerrit Cole and $765 million for Juan Soto, giving the reported bidding discussion concrete contract benchmarks.
  • Skubal's consecutive Cy Young Awards in 2024 and 2025 and his reported 5-2 record, 2.61 ERA and 70 strikeouts in 10 Dodgers starts are part of the case clubs may weigh.
  • Skubal is the person whose contract and club choice are at stake; the reports do not establish his preference or a final offer.

What to watch next

  • Whether the Mets submit an offer for Skubal and whether it goes beyond matching other bids.
  • Whether the Dodgers pursue Skubal after their season ended against the Milwaukee Brewers.
  • Whether Skubal and Scott Boras agree to a long-term contract with the Dodgers, the Mets or another club.
  • Whether Skubal signs before December 1, the potential lockout date cited by Dose.ca.

How it's being covered

Coverage analysisShow details
4 source articles · 4 unique outlets
Outlet political mix: Too few rated· 1 Center · 3 unrated
Where the outlets are based: US/Canada 50% · Unknown 50%
Outlet political mix
Too few rated
Left
Center
Right
0 outlets
1 outlet
0 outlets
The marker shows coverage balance: each unique outlet counts once. 3 unrated outlets are not included.
Geography
Where the outlets covering this story are based.
4 unique outletsDominant coverage: US/Canada
How we measure coverage

How outlets' accounts compare

1 framing difference · 2 uncorroborated claims · 2 information gaps
The reports repeat the same account with different emphasis; its central claims are not independently confirmed in the reporting Updat3 read.Compared across 3 reports whose article text Updat3 read; 1 other outlet was checked by headline only.
Framing / emphasis differences
Sources emphasise different angles, actors or consequences of the same reporting.
  • Rising Apple foregrounds the possibility that the Mets may have to outbid the Dodgers and cites Janes's account of Cohen's willingness to pay; Dose.ca emphasizes the Mets' reported intention to match offers.
Updat3: These are differences of emphasis, not disputes about what is reported. They do not show that the reported claims are true.
One-sided or uncorroborated claims
Claims that come from one party or one source family and are not independently corroborated.
  • FirstSportz quoted Skubal saying he would not comment on his future after the Dodgers' elimination.
  • Rising Apple cited Chelsea Janes's report of a consensus that Steve Cohen would pay whatever it takes if he wants Skubal.
Updat3: Not independently corroborated yet — treat as a claim, not an established fact.
Not established by the reporting
Information the available reporting does not contain or confirm. This is a gap, not a disagreement.
  • The sources do not provide a confirmed Skubal contract offer, his preferred destination, or a final decision.
  • Skubal's preferred destination and whether the Mets, Dodgers or another club will sign him remain uncertain.
Updat3: Updat3 cannot conclude anything about this from the current sources.

Timeline

Developments from this story's sources, dated background we compiled and fact-checked, and our earlier coverage. Each row says which.
  1. MLB and the Major League Baseball Players Association established free agency in their labor agreement.
    Background · compiled and fact-checked by Updat3
  2. The Detroit Tigers selected Tarik Skubal in the ninth round of the MLB draft.
    Background · compiled and fact-checked by Updat3
  3. In December 2019, Boras negotiated Gerrit Cole’s nine-year, $324 million contract with the New York Yankees, then the largest deal for a starting pitcher.
    Background · from our historical context
  4. Tarik Skubal made his major-league debut with the Detroit Tigers.
    Background · compiled and fact-checked by Updat3
  5. Tarik Skubal won the American League Cy Young Award.
    Background · compiled and fact-checked by Updat3
  6. In December 2024, Boras negotiated Juan Soto’s 15-year, $765 million contract with the Mets, a record-setting agreement in professional sports.
    Background · from our historical context
  7. Tarik Skubal won his second consecutive American League Cy Young Award.
    Background · compiled and fact-checked by Updat3

How we got here

Tarik Skubal’s standing as a potential top-of-market pitcher followed back-to-back American League Cy Young Awards in 2024 and 2025. His rise began with the Detroit Tigers, who selected the left-hander in the ninth round of the 2018 MLB draft; he made his major-league debut in 2020.

The contract history around Skubal’s agent, Scott Boras, offers a measure of the market he has negotiated. In December 2019, Boras negotiated Gerrit Cole’s nine-year, $324 million contract with the New York Yankees, then the largest deal for a starting pitcher.

Original sources

4 articles from 4 outlets

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