Free agent right-handed starter Max Scherzer is close to finalizing a deal with the New York Mets reports Jon Morosi of MLB Network. Morosi says it’s a multi-year deal and multiple reports have the offer around $40 million per year.
This comes just a few days after the Mets stocked up on the position-player side by landing center fielder Starling Marte and utility men Mark Cahna and Eduardo Escobar.
Scherzer, 37, would be joining his fifth team in 15 years in the majors. He came up with the Diamondbacks, was traded to the Tigers, signed as a free agent with the Nationals and was traded to the Dodgers last season. In his career, he’s 190-97 with a 3.16 ERA (134 ERA+), 1.08 WHIP and 3,020 strikeouts in 2,536 2/3 innings. The eight-time All-Star has won three Cy Youngs.
Last season, Scherzer finished third in NL Cy Young voting (his sixth top-three finish and eighth top-five finish) when he went 15-4 with a 2.46 ERA, 0.86 WHIP and 236 strikeouts against 36 walks in 179 1/3 innings. After the trade, the Dodgers went 11-0 in his starts while he had a 1.98 ERA. In the playoffs, he had a 2.16 ERA, though the Dodgers lost two of his four starts.
Even at his age, the most likely path for Scherzer in 2022 is once again to pitch like an ace.
That means that if the Mets pull this off and can get Jacob deGrom back to full health it’s at least possible they’ll have the two best pitchers in baseball in the same rotation. At the very least, they have a pair of aces atop the rotation.
Though the Mets lost Noah Syndergaard to the Angels via free agency, Marcus Stroman is a current free agent and owner Steve Cohen was peeved they didn’t land lefty Steven Matz in an attempted reunion, they still could have a full rotation without adding anyone else, should the Scherzer deal become finalized. Behind deGrom and Scherzer there would be Carlos Carrasco, Taijuan Walker, Tylor Megill and David Peterson. Lefty Joey Lucchesi had Tommy John surgery late last June and could provide depth late in the season, too.
