Reese Kaplan -- A Pitcher Who Might Be Better Than Tarik Skubal

Let’s get the elephant out of the room first.  Tarik Skubal is a terrific and dominating pitcher who will command arguably the most expensive long term contract ever handed out to a pitcher in the long history of baseball.  He deserves it.  With multiple Cy Young Awards and youth on his side he’s going to cash in big time and deserves it.

Now pretend you are the Mets front office with a plan.  I know, I know...planning and the POBO don’t usually fit into the same sentence but for once let’s give Mr. Stearns the benefit of doubt that after finishing dead last in 2026 with baseball’s highest payroll he really does need to do something to change the course and fortunes of his employer.

Depending on who you believe Skubal is likely looking for somewhere in the $40-$50 million per year salary for anywhere between 6 and 10 years. At worst case you’re looking at a half a billion dollar pitcher.  Given what the Mets already have obligated to pay for 2027 and beyond it is highly unlikely they will want to be in that payroll stratosphere.  Given the sweep out of the postseason it is entirely possible he returns to the Dodgers on that kind of deal anyway. 

So if Skubal is off the table for reasons of financial prudence and his likely desire to want to go into a winning organization what then can Stearns do to help the Mets?  We’ve already covered the likelihood of mutual opt-out candidates in Michael King and Clay Holmes, both of whom not only have shown the ability to pitch effectively in New York but also combined would likely only exceed the cost for Skubal alone by a margin along the lines of a pair of Tylor Megills.  That’s a good way of spreading your risk while not bankrupting your team on a guy whose arm injury could cripple your growth for a year or more at a time.

Unfortunately rumors are already starting that while Holmes is likely indeed to try to cash in by exercising his opt out, reports are surfacing that the Mets are not interested.  Please tell all Mets fans that this leak is merely someone’s speculation and not grounded in reality.  No word on King has surfaced as of yet.

Another top tier hurler who could likely be had for the right trade price is Tampa Bay Rays’ ace prior to Freddy Peralta, Drew Rasmussen.  For a guy whose career is in need of an adrenaline shot for his publicity, the fact he’s likely at the $20 million rate in his final year before free agency for the 2028 season suggests he might be the right fit here for a number of reasons. 

First, the fact is that the Rays routinely ship out players before they lose them to free agency to reinforce their roster depth.  Since they just lost the Series then that move is even more likely to occur.

Second, the former Brewers executive seems to have a legitimate obsession with not doing any creative thinking and instead relying on people he knew well from his time in the midwest.  Do the names Freddy Peralta, Devin Williams and Tobias Myers ring any bells for you? Well, many many not realize that the guy we associate with Tampa Bay actually began his minor league career with the Brewers in 2020. 

Now how good is the twice injured but currently healthy Rasmussen?  For his career (not just this past season but a span of over seven years) is just 2.83.  By contrast, Skubal owns a 3.02 over the same amount of seasons.  Huh???

This season for the Rays Rasmussen has a 16-6 record, a 2.67 ERA, a minuscule WHIP of 0.913 to lead the league, and struck out over 9 per 9 IP while walking well under 2.  It would appear he is indeed a reasonable alternative to the much more heralded Skubal and far less cost.