MLB Free Agency Buzz: Mets To Meet With Tarik Skubal; Padres Show Interest

As we get over seeing the Brewers winning their first ever World Series, it's time to turn our attention to the hot stove! With Nov. 2 officially kicking off free agency, expect big-name players such as two-time Cy Young ace Tarik Skubal and Japanese slugger Teruaki Sato to get top dollar this offseason. Here's the latest from across the league: Tuesday, Nov. 10 The New York Mets are reportedly scheduled to meet with Tarik Skubal, the top prize of this year’s free agent class, next week in California. The New York Post first reported the planned meeting. Mets president of baseball operations David Stearns declined to comment on the team’s pursuit of Skubal at the general manager meetings in Las Vegas. The fit is obvious. The Mets need a front-line starter after missing the postseason in each of the last two seasons, and owner Steve Cohen has the resources to make it happen. Beyond rookie standout Nolan McLean and Christian Scott, New York’s rotation is full of question marks. The Mets won’t be alone. Dodgers general manager Brandon Gomes said Los Angeles also expects to meet with Skubal in the coming days, noting the left-hander enjoyed his time with the team after being acquired from Detroit at the trade deadline. Skubal is widely expected to set records for both average annual value and total value for a pitcher. The current marks are the $43.3 million AAV shared by Max Scherzer and Justin Verlander and Yoshinobu Yamamoto’s 12-year, $325 million deal. The Padres have new owners this offseason, and may not be attempting to stay at or near the luxury tax threshold any longer as San Diego has the past few seasons. The best evidence of this change to this point is the Padres looking into acquiring the top free agent, ace starter Tarik Skubal. Per MLB Network, San Diego is "among the most active teams" in the starter market, and have "expressed interest" in the two-time Cy Young winner. The Padres are active to this degree in the market in part because they lack starting pitching options: at the trade deadline in 2026, San Diego acquired Casey Mize and Robbie Ray, both pending free agents, to fill holes in the rotation. Top starter Michael King also elected free agency, leaving the returning Joe Musgrove at the top of a staff featuring a number of pitchers a contending team would not utilize if it could be helped. Skubal, despite midseason elbow surgery to remove loose bodies in '26, was the top trade deadline target and acquired by the Dodgers to bolster their own rotation. He produced a 2.72 ERA over 158 ⅔ innings with a 6.89 strikeout-to-walk ratio, a performance worthy of a 2.51 FIP — right in line with his marks during his two Cy Young-winning campaigns in 2024 and 2025, in which his FIP came to AL-best 2.49 and 2.45 figures. As reported by ESPN earlier this offseason, Skubal is expected to sign before Dec. 1, and could very well pull in a contract worth $400 million in the process. Friday, Nov. 6 Dave Roberts needs a new hitting coach. The Los Angeles Dodgers and hitting coach Aaron Bates were unable to reach a new deal, and the two sides are subsequently parting ways, The Athletic reported. Bates had been the Dodgers' hitting coach since 2019 and a coach in the organization since 2019. Last season (2026), the Dodgers were second in MLB in slugging percentage (.424), third in on-base percentage (.338), fourth outright in runs (801) and tied for fourth in hits (1,399). Granted, the Dodgers scored just 25 runs across their eight postseason games, which ended with getting swept by the eventual World Series-champion Milwaukee Brewers in the National League Championship Series. Still, Los Angeles finished no worse than second in runs scored in four consecutive seasons from 2022-25 and in the top five in each of Bates' eight seasons as hitting coach. The Washington Nationals have locked in one of their own. Washington has signed center fielder Jacob Young to a four-year, $23 million extension, per FanSided. The contract includes an $8 million team option on a fifth year. Young totaled 10 home runs, 50 RBIs – which were each career highs – and 18 stolen bases in 2026, while posting a .252/.318/.390 slash line. The former seventh-round pick of the Nationals is better known for his glove, as Young posted 12 defensive runs saved in center field in 2024 and 13 defensive runs saved at the position in 2025, while not recording an error in the latter season. Washington finished last season at 77-85. Wednesday, Nov. 4 Albert Pujols and the Astros have some history. Could there now be an actual partnership? The legendary slugger who famously hit one of the most iconic home runs in postseason baseball history is reportedly interviewing for the manager job in Houston. MLB Network's Jon Morosi added that Brad Ausmus – a former Astros player and current Yankees bench coach – is also on Houston's list. Pujols, who won two World Series titles with the St. Louis Cardinals and was a three-time MVP, has previously been linked with openings with the Padres and Angels (another one of his former teams). He has served as a special assistant for the Angels and has previously managed Leones del Escogido in the Dominican Republic. Earlier in 2026, he led the Dominican Republic to a third-place finish at the World Baseball Classic. The Astros recently hired Randy Flores as their general manager. Both Castro and Pujols were Cardinals teammates. As a player, Pujols hit 62 of his 703 career home runs against the Astros, the most against any team in his career – including that infamous Game 5 dinger against Brad Lidge in the 2005 NLCS that the Astros won in six games. The Tampa Bay Rays have officially exercised Drew Rasmussen’s $20 million option for 2027. Despite trade speculation stemming from the payday, The Tampa Bay Times reports that Tampa Bay intends to keep its ace and has no interest in moving him right now. Rasmussen proved his worth once again as a top-of-the-rotation starter. He played a pivotal role in leading Tampa Bay to a World Series berth, delivering an elite 16-5 record, a 2.67 ERA, and 172 innings pitched on the year. Bringing back Rasmussen gives the Rays a powerful rotation tandem next to Shane McClanahan and Griffin Jax. Fresh off a World Series appearance that ended in a five-game loss to the Brewers, Tampa Bay enters the offseason focused on finishing the job in 2027. The Baltimore Orioles are taking a "listen-to-all-offers" approach entering the winter. According to The Baltimore Banner, first baseman Pete Alonso is the only player off the table as the front office explores major trades to revamp its roster before the CBA expires on December 1. It’s still unclear what the long-term vision is, but shortstop Gunnar Henderson almost certainly stays put unless someone makes an irresistible offer. If Baltimore does make moves, the front office will focus on acquiring at least one starting pitcher while upgrading the outfield and catcher positions. Trading catcher Adley Rutschman to the Boston Red Sox proved that the Orioles aren't afraid to make radical roster moves. As trade talks heat up, right-handers Félix Bautista and Ryan Helsley loom as primary trade chips given their talent and expiring contracts. Monday, Nov. 2 Tarik Skubal, recent Dodgers' ace and back-to-back AL Cy Young award winner, is the top free agent available this offseason. And the expectation is that he will sign before Dec. 1, and potentially for as much as $400 million or more, per ESPN. The Dodgers and Mets are both expected to be top suitors, given their ability and willingness to spend, but the Cubs and Padres – both desperately in need of starting pitching, and both capable of spending on a top-line free agent – are also considered significant suitors for Skubal's services. Skubal's 2026 was briefly interrupted by elbow surgery, but he returned and completed the season with a 2.72 ERA over 158 ⅔ innings and 26 starts, while striking out nearly seven times as many batters as he walked. Skubal will turn 30 during the offseason, and pitched brilliantly following his early-May surgery, including in two postseason starts with three runs allowed over 11 innings with 14 strikeouts against four walks. The Bazooka is back! Following a World Series MVP performance, brewers catcher William Contreras will return to the champions in 2027 after the team picked up his $15.5 million option. The 28-year-old catcher went 1-for-4 with an RBI double in the clincher and finished 8-for-21 (.381) with four RBIs. He did just as much behind the plate. Contreras guided a pitching staff that held Tampa Bay to 12 runs in five games, and he threw out four runners during the series.However, the Brewers declined the options for several players. Milwaukee declined a $14 million option on reliever Antonio Senzatela and the $8.5 million mutual option for backup catcher Gary Sánchez. Jake Bauers, who won the NLCS MVP in the four-game sweep over the Dodgers, was handed a one-year, $23 million qualifying offer. Friday, Oct. 30 Sonny Gray will receive a $10 million buyout as he is now a free agent. Gray led MLB with 18 wins and finished the year with a 2.72 ERA, the eighth-best mark among all qualified MLB pitchers and his lowest total since his All-Star 2015 season. As he enters his age-37 season, he remains a reliable arm, having thrown more than 160 innings and making at least 28 starts each of the last four seasons. Bo Bichette is keeping his contract with the Mets, exercising a player option for a $42 million salary in 2027, the team said Friday. Bichette agreed in January to a $126 million, three-year contract that included a $40 million signing bonus, a $2 million salary for 2026 and $42 million player options for both 2027 and 2028. Declining either option allows him to become a free agent again. A two-time All-Star shortstop in Toronto, Bichette shifted primarily to third base in New York, where Francisco Lindor plays shortstop. The 28-year-old Bichette hit .260 with 18 homers and 78 RBIs for the disappointing Mets, down from .311 with 18 homers and 94 RBIs when he helped the Blue Jays win the American League pennant in 2025. Outfielder Ronald Acuña Jr.'s $17 million option was exercised Thursday by the Atlanta Braves, who also exercised a $7 million option on second baseman Ozzie Albies. Acuña, a five-time All-Star and the 2023 NL MVP, agreed in 2019 to a $100 million, eight-year contract that included the 2027 option, which had a $10 million buyout, and a $17 million option for 2028, which has no buyout. Albies agreed in 2019 to $35 million, seven-year contract that included $7 million options for 2026 and 2027. The Associated Press contributed to this report.