Mad Max is ready to find happiness in another MLB city.
A year and a half after Max Scherzer agreed to sign with the Mets, the ace is on the move ahead of the MLB trade deadline, to the AL West-leading Rangers. The teams agreed to the deal, and then Scherzer waived his no-trade clause to complete it. Scherzer will follow his partner atop the Mets' rotation in 2022 — Jacob deGrom — in heading to the Lone Star State.
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Texas had a hole in its rotation after DeGrom suffered an elbow injury that will keep him sidelined for the remainder of the 2023 season. Dane Dunning has filled it well, so Scherzer would be making the group deeper.
It's said that everything is bigger in Texas, which is fitting for Scherzer. who boasts the biggest salary in baseball to go with a big personality.
Why are the Mets moving on from him? It turns out that both sides played a role in the move.
Why did the Mets trade Max Scherzer?
The Mets have doled out big salaries and reeled in big names the past two years. The strategy worked nicely in 2022 as the team won 101 games and made the playoffs. It was seen as laying the foundation for a burgeoning empire.
But beneath the surface, the Mets were rotting away, with an aging core of players being paid for past achievements instead of future success.
The signing of the now 39-year-old Scherzer is evidence of that. A two-year, $86.6 million contract with a player option for a third year seemed to be worth it early on, but even Steve Cohen has limits. Couple that with the team's underperformance this season, and now a parting of ways is close.
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Regression and Father Time appear to have caught up with the three-time Cy Young Award winner and World Series champion. When the Mets (49-54 heading into play Saturday) began their sell-off Thursday by trading closer David Robertson to the Marlins, it felt like a matter of time before a Scherzer trade would materialize.
Scherzer said Friday that he needed to have a conversation with the team's front office about what would be next. He didn't appear happy the Mets were waving the white flag on 2023.
Max Scherzer when asked if there's time for a run to still be made:
— SNY (@SNYtv) July 29, 2023
"Probably got to have a conversation with the front office. You traded our closer away. A bunch of people are going to have to have conversations with the front office" pic.twitter.com/KD2uPKhhEl
That conversation produced a rapid response.
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Max Scherzer contract
Scherzer's contract includes a $43.3 million player option for 2024, meaning he is not a pure rental for the Rangers. It would make sense for him to pick it up after the season he has had, and Scherzer hinted Friday that he would opt in for 2024.
Andy Martino of SNY reported that the Rangers will be responsible for only $22.5 million of the remainder of the contract, with the Mets paying the rest, but Joel Sherman of the New York Post reported that Scherzer still has the right to opt out in the offseason.
| Year | Salary |
| 2023 | $43.33 million (about $16 million remaining to be paid) |
| 2024 | $43.33 million (Scherzer can opt out of contract) |
Max Scherzer stats
Scherzer has struggled to put away hitters and keep the ball in the yard this season. He has surrendered 23 home runs in 107 2/3 innings pitched. He is danger of posting his highest ERA since 2011.
| IP | ERA | FIP | K/9 | BB/9 | HR/9 |
| 107.2 | 4.01 | 4.73 | 10.1 | 2.5 | 1.9 |
Scherzer is no longer a dominant pitcher who strikes fear into opposing hitters. The Mets are willing to cash out their investment in the midst of that decline.
