Scherzer Dealt to Rangers, Is Verlander Next?
The New York Mets essentially waved the white flag when they agreed to terms on a trade Saturday night with the Texas Rangers that sends starting pitcher Max Scherzer to the Texas Rangers for No. 3 overall prospect Luisangel Acuna, in a move that sent shock waves through Major League Baseball.
There was plenty of drama on Saturday. Would Scherzer accept the trade? Would he wave his no trade clause? The answer was 'yes' to both.
Moreover, he decided to opt-in to his 2024 player option, likely signaling he will end his career in Texas in 2024.
And in turn, the Mets have to pay down a majority of what is owned the former Cy Young Award winner. $35 million of the remaining $58.3 million remaining to be exact. The Rangers are on the hook for only $22 million.
The trade ends an up and down tenure for Scherzer which lasted only 1-1/2 seasons, certainly shorter than anyone would have expected when he signed a two-year deal, with a player option for 2024. When Scherzer came aboard, it gave the Mets some instant credibility. They signed a player who was one of their ultimate tormentors when he was the ace of the Washington Nationals; a World Series champion in 2019.
With the Mets, he was stellar for most of the 2022 season. He was asked to be the "ace" last season until Jacob deGrom returned in late August, and he lived up to it. By August 12 of last season, Scherzer's ERA was 1.93.
Then he hit a wall and was never the same. His poor outings against Atlanta at the end of the year, and against San Diego in the playoffs, unfortunately are what Mets fans harp on the most.
This year, Scherzer was an inconsistent 9-4 with a 4.01 ERA. He had some good starts. He also had plenty of bad starts. To trade Scherzer and get a player who comes as highly regarded as Acuna was a solid play by Eppler.
This move, coupled with the trade of David Robertson make it obvious that the Mets are willing rebuild, and Steve Cohen is willing to pay to make it happen. Cohen said he would do what it took to rebuild the minor league system if indeed that was in play. Even with the Mets six back in the wild card race, the truth is this team was and is going nowhere. It was time to reshuffle the deck.
Yet is also curious that GM Billy Eppler on Sunday didn't call it a fire sale, calling it instead a "repurposing" of Steve Cohen's finances in the team. Eppler also stayed firm that the team was not rebuilding and would compete in 2024.
Considering Cohen is the richest owner in baseball, that's not hard to see. He has shown a desire to spend money in order to win right away. It worked partially in 2022 when the Mets won 101 games. It failed miserably this season.
The trade of Scherzer of course has left a lot players asking questions. Brandon Nimmo told reporters on Saturday night he wanted to speak to the front office, a refrain Scherzer stated on Friday after the shock of David Robertson's trade.
Justin Verlander, one of Scherzer's best friends from their days in Detroit, is also twisting in the wind right now. Reports are the Mets are listening to trade proposals. They may or may not move him. Last night and early Sunday morning there was talk of both the Dodgers and Astros with strong interest. On sunday, SNY's Andy Martino reported that Verlander might stay put.
After his start on Sunday, Verlander thanked the fans and stressed that he would like to remain in the organization.
"I'm committed to try and win a championship here, but if the organization decides that that's not the direction that's best fit for next year, I'd be open to it."
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| Justin Verlander and Max Scherzer. Getty Images. |
In all fairness, if the Mets are going to make a few more moves to reposition this franchise to be in better position to compete in 2024, perhaps moving the 40-year old Verlander would be the best move. It would help clear his mind about the future, and it might serve the team best since they would get a top prospect in return.
Verlander is an all-timer. He won his 250th career game on Sunday, he would certainly help someone who is trying to compete for a World Championship this season.
On the flip side if Mets do indeed ship Verlander out of town in only the first year of a three year contract that he agreed to six months ago, it would also put into question how players view Steve Cohen's loyalty on contract's. A quick trigger finger and people would assume that the Mets' word isn't necessarily their bond, if things ever go south.
Yes, this is professional sports, players get dealt, but when you have a team that had the richest payroll in baseball at $350 million, and the game's most wealthy owner, who is willing to do whatever it takes to win in the long term, it creates an aura of unpredictability.
What will happen next is anyone's guess at this point.
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