Korner Konfidential — Mets Hot Stove Report: Day 10
Day 10 — Sunday, November 8, 2026. A quiet Sunday — and, once again, we will say so plainly. No Mets signing, no trade, nothing new on the waiver wire. But the Skubal winter finally has a shape, at least from the Mets' side of the table: SNY insider Chelsea Janes, on the Mets Mailbag, put a number and a hard stop on it — the money can be record money, the years cannot run forever. Tonight the Fall Stars Game takes over the baseball evening, tomorrow Carson Benge learns his Rookie of the Year fate, and tomorrow the GM meetings open in Las Vegas, where a frozen market has three weeks to beat the December 1 lockout. Sorted, as always, into what's reported and what's just talked about.
🔥 THE BIG BOARD — Reports
Tarik Skubal, dealing for Detroit. Photo: Jeffrey Hyde, via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 2.0).
Janes: the Mets' Skubal shape — 7 years, $340 million, and no longer. This is the most concrete read yet on how the Mets intend to bid, and it comes from a voice this column trusts. Chelsea Janes of SNY, discussing the pursuit on the most recent Mets Mailbag, said she believes the Mets will make Tarik Skubal an offer that could make him the highest-paid pitcher in baseball history — but on their terms. While Skubal might want nine or ten years, Janes said the Mets are not likely to go past six or seven years; they do not mind paying huge money — her phrase was “7 years for $340 million” — but a longer term is not likely to be acceptable. Do the math the way the market will: $340 million over seven years is a $48.57 million average annual value, which would shatter Zack Wheeler's $42 million pitcher AAV record while stopping well short of the $400-million-plus totals the projection pages have been throwing around. Read it for exactly what it is — an insider's informed read of the club's posture, not a reported offer already on the table. No offer has been reported as made. But it fits everything else we have tracked for ten days: David Stearns has never signed a starter for more than three years in New York, the Dodgers are reported to favor a shorter, high-AAV structure of their own, and the fight is increasingly about years, not dollars. If Boras holds out for nine or ten, somebody has to blink — and Janes is telling you the Mets do not plan to be that somebody on term.
Wagaman's election is official. A small wire item with a Sunday timestamp: infielder Eric Wagaman has elected free agency, according to his MLB.com transactions log, MLB Trade Rumors reported Sunday morning. It was the expected outcome after the Mets outrighted him off the 40-man roster ahead of the November 2 deadline — we flagged the expectation on Day 4, and the log now makes it formal. Wagaman, 29, posted a 67 wRC+ in 52 plate appearances with the Mets this year, playing a handful of innings at the infield and outfield corners, after struggling with the Twins' top affiliate before an end-of-April waiver claim brought him to New York; he did hit to a 108 wRC+ in 148 plate appearances for Triple-A Syracuse. MLBTR's read: he is on the market as a low-cost, minor league depth option, with a platoon path — he fared far better against left-handers (115 wRC+) than right-handers (69) last year. A depth name leaves the building; the 40-man math does not change.
Sources: MLB Trade Rumors
The eve of Vegas: a week in, the market still hasn't moved. ESPN's GM meetings preview, written from the road to Las Vegas, asks the question this whole winter turns on: does anybody in this sport actually want to do anything before December 1? So far, the answer looks like no — free agency has been open a week with, in ESPN's words, not one major signing or trade of consequence. The CBA expires at 11:59 PM ET on December 1, and when it goes, everything freezes: signings, trades, even contact between teams and players. ESPN's logic from there is the dam theory we have carried all week — Passan reports Skubal is expected to sign before the CBA expires for a record contract, the Dodgers and Mets are the names heard most, and Kiley McDaniel reports the Yankees are “thinking about” a run. If Skubal signs before December 1, the dam breaks; if he doesn't, nobody signs anything of consequence until there is a new deal. The weekend's only notable league movement underlined the freeze: the Nationals extended center fielder Jacob Young for four years and $23 million (FanSided's Robert Murray, via the Bleacher Report tracker) — an extension, not a free-agent splash — while MLBTR's Sunday Opener notes first baseman Ty France, projected at two years and $32 million, is drawing interest from multiple teams and could sign quickly. Quickly, in this market, is a relative term.
Sources: Yardbarker (ESPN GM meetings preview) · MLB Trade Rumors — The Opener · Bleacher Report FA Tracker (Murray)
Housekeeping, and a week that accelerates tonight. Still nothing on the wire: no waiver resolution has been reported for Kyren Paris or Christian Cairo for a sixth straight day since the sign-and-designate gambit, and no Robert Stock follow-up move either. One new name joins the veteran-arm pile: right-hander Michael Soroka declined his mutual $10 million option with Arizona and is a free agent (9–5, 3.41 ERA in 22 games, 21 starts, for the Diamondbacks in 2026), per the Canadian baseball roundup tracking the option news — no Mets link reported. From tonight, the calendar runs hot: the Arizona Fall League Fall Stars Game is TONIGHT, Sunday, November 8 at 8 PM ET on MLB Network, with Mets pitchers Irving Cota and Ryan Lambert in it — results in tomorrow's edition; the National League Rookie of the Year winner — Carson Benge is a finalist, with Sal Stewart and JJ Wetherholt — is announced Monday, November 9; the GM meetings run November 9–12 in Las Vegas; qualifying-offer answers and the Rule 5 protection deadline land November 17; the tender deadline is November 20; and the December 1 lockout clock hangs over all of it.
🗣️ THE SPECULATION DESK — Talk, Not News
The “irresponsible” move Rising Apple actually wants: Morejón, QO and all. Sunday's Rising Apple argument is the boldest Speculation Desk item since the deGrom reunion case — and, like that one, it is an argument, not a report. The case for signing Adrián Morejón even though San Diego attached a $23.15 million qualifying offer: over the past two seasons he leads all left-handed relievers in fWAR (5.1) and appearances (151) and is second in FIP (2.33) behind only Aroldis Chapman; he peaked in 2026 at 2.8 fWAR, a mark only Nolan McLean eclipsed on the entire Mets staff, starters included; his chase rate (38.6%, 99th percentile) and whiff rate (34.2%, 97th percentile) are, in the piece's word, comical; and the QO itself may stunt his market, because the Mets would surrender draft picks and international bonus money on top of a contract approaching $20 million a year for a pitcher who has not closed — he would have been racking up saves, Rising Apple argues, had the Padres not acquired Mason Miller in 2025. The counterweight is in the piece too: Morejón may simply accept the QO, which at $23.15 million would be the highest salary ever for a relief pitcher, and Stearns may balk at another big reliever bet after the Devin Williams gambit flopped. No Mets interest in Morejón has been reported. Filed here as talk — well-built talk, but talk.
Sources: Rising Apple
The other side of the Skubal coin: the gamble argument. For balance on a Sunday, the weekend's cautionary take: a Roundtable/Albat argument that handing Skubal a record-breaking deal could sink the Mets — three elbow surgeries (2016, 2022 and 2026) on the arm they would be betting the winter on, a roster with more holes than one ace can fill, and a front office under pressure to make a statement move, which is exactly when statement moves go wrong. It is opinion, and it runs against the reported posture — Cohen's No. 1 priority, per Bowden; the favorite, per ESPN — but the injury-history core of it is the same concern Kiley McDaniel reported some teams are weighing back on Day 5. Both things can be true: he is the prize, and he is a gamble. That is why the years, per Janes, are where the Mets are drawing the line.
Sources: Albat / Roundtable
Bohm's market, mapped — and the Mets aren't on it. A useful negative to close the Desk: Just Baseball's Sunday free-agent profile of Alec Bohm projects the former Phillie at one to three years and a $6–12 million AAV (.249/.315/.383, 15 homers, 90 wRC+ in 2026; no qualifying offer attached) and maps his top landing spots as the Cardinals, Angels, Reds and a return to Philadelphia. The Mets — who carried Bohm at No. 9 on NorthJersey's ranked target list on Day 4 — do not appear. Fit lists are talk, and absence from one proves nothing, but with Bichette returned at third base, the Bohm-to-Queens idea was always a stretch. We note it so the Tracker line stays honest: on the market, no fresh Mets link, and the newest map doesn't draw one.
Sources: Just Baseball
Beat Tweets
The beat is quiet today. A Sunday sweep of the 13-handle roster — DiComo, Puma, Sammon, Britton, Martino, Gelbs, Ragazzo, Heyman, Sherman, Goodman, Albanese, Mastracco and Pantorno — produced no news-bearing posts with verifiable status IDs since yesterday's edition. The day's headline item, Chelsea Janes on the shape of a Mets Skubal offer, arrived as an SNY Mets Mailbag video discussion, not as an embeddable beat post, and it is credited on the Big Board above. We don't fabricate embeds; when a signing breaks with a clean, verifiable post, this section will carry the iframe itself.
WINTER BALL & FALL LEAGUE WATCH
The stove isn't the only thing still warm. A small army of Mets — big leaguers, top prospects, and a few names only the true sickos know — is playing real baseball right now in the Dominican Republic, Venezuela, Mexico, Puerto Rico and Arizona. This section stays in the Korner all winter, updated as the numbers move, because on the slow news days this IS the baseball. No newer Metsmerized winter recap had been published by press time Sunday than the November 5 recap of Wednesday's games, and no fresh highlight from a game played since the last edition surfaced today — so today's lines run through Wednesday, stated plainly, and the section runs text-only, with no embeds. Tonight, though, is live baseball: the Fall Stars Game, 8 PM ET.
PUERTO RICO (LBPRC). The Puerto Rican Winter League opened Wednesday, and three Mets prospects are on the Leones de Ponce roster: Jacob Reimer, John Bay and Eli Serrano III (Mike Mayer, Metsmerized). Reimer got the first headline: looking to rebound from a groin-complicated season at Double-A Binghamton (.232/.335/.384, eight homers in 80 games; MMO's No. 6 prospect to start the year, No. 12 by August), he went 1-for-4 with a double and two strikeouts in Ponce's 4-1 Opening Day loss. Bay, the 25-year-old center fielder who hit 16 homers with a .789 OPS across Binghamton and Brooklyn this year, went 0-for-5 with two strikeouts. Serrano is the third Met on the roster; no line for him on Opening Day. (Metsmerized)
DOMINICAN REPUBLIC (LIDOM). Ronny Mauricio's second game was as loud as his first: 2-for-4 with two runs scored, a stolen base, a walk and a strikeout for the Tigres del Licey — one night after homering in his Dominican Winter League debut. The No. 1 prospect, Jefferson Rojas, went 0-for-2 for the Gigantes del Cibao and is now hitless in his last two looks after the 0-for-3 on Tuesday (7-for-34 overall this winter); the two homers came in his second game of the winter, a 401-footer at 106 mph and a 429-footer. His Gigantes teammate Eddinson Paulino went 0-for-3 with a strikeout. Also in the league this winter: Christopher Morel (Águilas) is off to a .200 start with a homer between first base and the outfield corners; Vidal Bruján (Escogido) sits at .214/.343/.464 and is now a Brave on a minor league deal; and Ofreidy Gómez has thrown scoreless innings. (Metsmerized)
VENEZUELA (LVBP). Luis Torrens played right field for the second day in a row on Wednesday — the catcher's winter tour of the diamond continues — and this time the bat came with him: 1-for-5 with a double and two RBIs in Magallanes' 8-7 win. Francisco Alvarez, DH'ing again, went 1-for-3 with a walk and two strikeouts, a quieter night after Tuesday's patient 1-for-2 with three walks and Saturday's game-winning grand slam. Saul García allowed one run on two hits with one strikeout in one inning — his first earned run of this stretch after Tuesday's scoreless, win-earning inning. Joander Suarez (four appearances, 5.79 ERA) rounds out the Magallanes Mets. (Metsmerized)
MEXICO (LMP). A mixed Wednesday in Obregón: Marco Vargas, playing third base, went 1-for-4 with a strikeout and made his second error of the winter; shortstop Kevin Villavicencio went 1-for-3 and also made an error, cooling a touch after Tuesday's 2-for-4, three-RBI night had him at .313. The night's best Mets line in Mexico belonged to catcher Alejandro Urías: 3-for-5 with a double, a stolen base and three runs scored for Los Mochis. Urías, 24, went 5-for-12 with a homer in three games for Brooklyn this year — a name for the depth chart. (Metsmerized)
ARIZONA FALL LEAGUE. No new Surprise line since Tuesday's action — tonight is the story. Irving Cota (15 strikeouts in 12⅔ innings, 0.87 WHIP) and Ryan Lambert (still no hit or earned run allowed in six innings, 10 strikeouts) are Fall Stars, and the Fall Stars Game is TONIGHT, Sunday, November 8, at 8 PM ET on MLB Network from Salt River Fields, in a game that also includes 10 of MLB's top 100 prospects. How Cota and Lambert fare lands in tomorrow's edition. The rest of the Surprise ledger stands: Calvin Ziegler threw two-thirds of a scoreless inning Tuesday (he has allowed 10 earned runs in 4⅔ AFL innings), Peyton Prescott's ERA sits at 6.52, Brendan Girton has yet to allow a run in 4⅓ innings, Boston Baro's OPS is .778 and Bruin Agbayani's is .440. The AFL wraps up November 14. (Grand Central Mets)
Full winter ball stats for every Mets farmhand, updated weekly, live at Baseball America. If a Met does something down there, you'll read about it here.
📋 RUMOR TRACKER
Tarik Skubal — UPDATE Sun Nov 8: Janes (SNY Mets Mailbag) — she believes the Mets' offer shape is 7 yrs/$340M ($48.57M AAV, a pitcher record), with no appetite past 6–7 years while Skubal may want 9–10; no offer reported as made. Heyman — some expect him off the board early; Castillo — action starts at the GM meetings (Mon). Athletic projection 9 yrs/$405M and MLBTR 9 yrs/$425M remain projections. Status: unsigned; Mets vs. Dodgers, expected before Dec 1, fight now about years.
Jacob deGrom — Grant (Dallas Morning News) believes the Rangers will shop a highly paid star, deGrom front and center ($37M for 2027, $20M club option for 2028, full no-trade). Rising Apple argues a Mets reunion is the best Skubal backup plan (talk only). Status: availability reported; NO Mets talks reported.
Robert Stock — One-year Major League split contract; out of options, so any trip to Triple-A requires a DFA and waivers first. 36, 5.93 ERA in 30⅓ IP in 2026 after TOS surgery. Status: FIRST Mets signing of the winter — depth arm on the 40-man, with roster leverage.
Eric Wagaman — UPDATE Sun Nov 8: elected free agency per his MLB.com log (MLBTR) — the expected outcome of his Nov 2 outright, now formal. 67 wRC+ in 52 Mets PA. Status: free agent; low-cost depth option on the open market.
Teruaki Sato — Britton/Sammon (The Athletic): Mets unlikely to make a big splash; less inclined with Bichette at 3B and Benge in RF. Posted Sun Nov 1; window runs to Dec 1. Status: cooled — pursuit downgraded, not closed.
Michael King — Post pricing — expected at least 3 yrs/$80M; San Diego could keep him; Ellis hire gives Mets added insight. Mets met with him last winter. Status: top consolation prize; circle back.
Clay Holmes — Post pricing — pegged at 2–3 yrs, $40–50M after declining his $12M Cubs option. SNY's Janes: both sides open to a reunion at the right price. Status: reunion watch, price now framed.
Shoki Oda — 18-year-old Japanese RHP (97 mph, fastest ever at Koshien) met with the Mets, Phillies and Rangers this week (Yakyu Cosmopolitan); a dozen clubs interested; Dodgers considered the favorites; expected $3–5M bonus as an international amateur, signable Jan 15. Status: meeting held — long-term play, not 2027 help.
Kaima Taira — Posted Sun Nov 1; Mets among the clubs that scouted him. Status: on the market; negotiations open.
Hiromi Itoh — Posted from Japan (Hokkaido) Sun Nov 1. Status: posting watch — no Mets link reported.
Si Hwan Roh — KBO third baseman posted by Hanwha; 30-day window ends Dec 1 (Sherman). Status: posting watch — no Mets link reported.
Drew Rasmussen — Rays exercised his $20M option — NOT a free agent; Neander reiterates he intends Rasmussen to lead Tampa Bay's 2027 rotation. Status: trade watch at a known $20M price, Rays saying not available.
Nathan Eovaldi — Grant (Dallas Morning News) — Rangers will search for trade partners for Seager and deGrom, and perhaps Eovaldi ($24M owed for 2027; turns 37 in Feb). Status: availability reported; no Mets talks reported.
Michael Soroka — NEW Sun Nov 8: declined his mutual $10M option with Arizona (9–5, 3.41 ERA in 22 G). Status: veteran-arm tier; no Mets link reported.
Alec Bohm — Free agent since Wed Nov 4. Just Baseball's Nov 8 landing-spots map (Cardinals/Angels/Reds/Phillies) does not include the Mets. Status: on the market; no fresh Mets link reported.
Sonny Gray / Nick Martinez — Both free as of Fri Oct 30. Martinez also named in the Post's next tier (2 yrs/~$40M, with Gausman). Status: veteran fallback tier.
Nick Pivetta — Padres declined his $14M club option (Acee). Status: veteran-arm tier; no Mets link reported.
Emilio Pagán — Declined his $10M player option with Cincinnati (Romero); 25 saves, 3.38 ERA. Status: bullpen tier; no Mets link reported.
David Bednar / Adrián Morejón — Both received $23.15M qualifying offers. Answers due Nov 17; rejecting and signing elsewhere costs the new club a draft pick. Rising Apple argues the Mets should sign Morejón anyway (talk only, Nov 8). Status: bullpen market, with a QO price tag.
Kenley Jansen — Free agent after Detroit declined his club option. Status: veteran closer on the market; no Mets link reported.
Luis Robert Jr. — Orioles declined his $20M option ($2M buyout). The ex-Met is a free agent. Status: on the market; no reunion reporting.
Dustin May — Free agent: declined his $20M mutual option with Milwaukee. Status: veteran-arm tier; no Mets link reported.
Jeff McNeil — Free agent: the A's declined his option and the Mets cover the $2M buyout. Status: ex-Met on the market; no reunion reporting.
Sean Manaea — Sportsnaut predicts he's the Met dealt before Opening Day. Status: speculation only — no shopping reported.
Rafael Devers — MLBTR lists him as a trade candidate in San Francisco; the Mets link is an idea piece only. Status: watch, don't believe yet.
Devin Williams — Rising Apple argues for restoring him to a setup role with added closer competition. Status: opinion only — no club move reported.
Trevor Megill / MacKenzie Gore / Spencer Torkelson — Floated as trade fits by Rising Apple/FanSided. Status: fits list only — no talks reported.
Jack Anderson / Pierson Ohl — Claimed off waivers Mon Nov 2 (Anderson from Minnesota, Ohl from Colorado). Status: depth arms with options.
Kyren Paris / Christian Cairo — Signed major league deals for 2027, then designated for assignment in the sign-and-pass gambit (MLBTR). Status: STILL no waiver resolution reported at press time Sun Nov 8 — sixth day on the wire.
Bo Bichette — ✅ RESOLVED. Opted in for 2027 — see the Korner column, “Bo Knows: 42 Million Reasons.” His return at 3B reshaped the Sato pursuit.
Sandy Alcantara — ✅ OFF THE BOARD: the Marlins exercised his 2027 club option. Status: staying in Miami.
Vidal Bruján — ✅ RESOLVED Sun Nov 1: signed a minor league deal with the Braves, with a spring-training invite.
40-man roster — ✅ RESOLVED Mon Nov 2, churn continuing: Paris and Cairo designated, still unresolved Sun; Stock added Fri Nov 6; Wagaman's free-agent election formalized Sun Nov 8. Next churn: Rule 5 protection deadline Nov 17.
That's the stove for today. Same time tomorrow — if the Mets do something at 11 PM, the Tracker hears about it first.
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