For the past two seasons, the New York Mets have demonstrated a mastery of convincing themselves that pitching reclamation projects are a strategy, not just a symptom. Somewhere between the modest one-year deals and the 'we can fix him' optimism, they’ve built a philosophy that values potential bargains over proven arms—and suddenly, Detroit’s Cy Young candidate might be the one to expose it.
Tarik Skubal hasn’t been placed on the trade market—at least not officially yet—but when Jon Heyman reports that a $250 million gap exists between pitcher and team, even the most stable front office starts to twitch.