New York radio host Sal Licata said he expected Tarik Skubal to sign with the Mets, then explained in the same segment why the Los Angeles Angels could land the left-hander instead. He framed the choice around appetite for a demanding market rather than money alone.

Licata hosts The Sal Licata Show. Skubal, 29, is set to become a free agent once the World Series ends as the Dodgers were swept by the Milwaukee Brewers in the National League Championship Series. He went 5-2 with a 2.61 ERA in 10 starts after arriving from Detroit at the deadline.

Licata made the comments in the Monday episode of The Sal Licata Show.

“Maybe Skubal decides to go to the Angels,” Licata said. I have no idea. I don’t think he’s going back to the Dodgers, and I do think he’s going to end up with the Mets.”

“But maybe he doesn’t want the New York smoke, and he wants to go to the Angels,” he added. “The Angels’ owner says, ‘Here’s my biggest splash. I’m a new owner on the scene.’ Boom. Here you go. Here’s your $450 million or whatever. Now we have our ace.”

Licata separated Skubal from Juan Soto, who joined the Mets on a 15-year, $765 million deal.

“I don’t know how that’s going to play out, and I don’t know if Skubal wants New York or not. I think he wants the most money, but unlike Soto, he might not want New York. We knew Soto could handle New York and wanted New York.”

Licata’s doubts about the cost were not new. In an Oct. 1 video, he argued that one ace would not fix a Mets roster with several holes and suggested spreading the money as the Yankees did after losing Soto.

An ESPN survey of 27 insiders averaged eight years and $355 million, below his estimate, and a lockout was expected when the CBA expired on Dec. 1.

Tarik Skubal keeps his plans private after Dodgers exit

Tarik Skubal gave little away when asked about free agency minutes after his season ended. He spoke at Dodger Stadium after Milwaukee’s 6-4 win in Game 4 on Thursday, Oct. 15, which completed a sweep.

The Dodgers acquired him from Detroit on Aug. 2 for a package that included Zyhir Hope, River Ryan and Brady Smith. He started the openers of both the NLDS against Atlanta and the NLCS against Milwaukee.

The Athletic and the Los Angeles Times reported his comments.

“I’m not going to comment on my future really at all. Today sucks, you know, and that’s kind of where my head’s at.”

He added that he had been ready for a Game 5 and praised Los Angeles.

“It was an honor and a privilege to be here and compete with these guys, and to wear L.A. across your hat and across your chest.”

Blake Snell, a fellow Cy Young winner, said he would be recruiting Skubal, according to Sports Illustrated, and had already made his pitch in the clubhouse.

“I just said, he can’t leave me, especially on these terms.”

Any Angels push would rest on an ownership change still in progress. Kroenke Sports and Entertainment agreed in September to buy a controlling interest from Arte Moreno at a record $4 billion valuation, a deal expected to close in early 2027. No official comment was available from the Mets, the Angels or Skubal’s representatives.