The race for the biggest prize of baseball's offseason is heating up.

The New York Mets are scheduled to meet with left-hander Tarik Skubal next week in California, a source confirmed Tuesday. Skubal is the top free agent on the market after winning back-to-back American League Cy Young Awards with Detroit in 2024 and 2025.

Mets president of baseball operations David Stearns would not comment on Skubal at the general managers meetings in Las Vegas. But with owner Steve Cohen's deep pockets and a glaring need for an ace, New York is an obvious fit.

The Dodgers want him back

Los Angeles is also in the mix. The Dodgers got Skubal from the Tigers for three prospects at the trade deadline. General manager Brandon Gomes said the team expects to meet with him in the coming days.

"I know that he enjoyed his time here," Gomes said. "We loved having him, so I think that's certainly helpful as far as these conversations go."

Skubal turns 30 on Nov. 20. He went 12-7 with a 2.72 ERA in 158 2/3 innings this season despite missing six weeks after a procedure to remove a loose body from his left elbow.

A record contract could be coming

Skubal is widely expected to set records for a pitcher in both average annual value and total value. Max Scherzer and Justin Verlander share the current AAV mark at $43.3 million. Yoshinobu Yamamoto's 12-year, $325 million deal is the biggest guarantee.

The Mets have missed the playoffs two years in a row and want more than one starter. Rookie Nolan McLean posted a 3.16 ERA in 31 starts, but the rest of the rotation is uncertain.

"Having a complete rotation is really important," Stearns said.

Signing Skubal would be a first for Stearns. He has never given a pitcher a long-term deal while running a front office in Milwaukee or New York.