NEW YORK -- After a weekend of swirling rumors, Max Scherzer and the Mets are closing in on an agreement for a multiyear deal, a source told MLB.com’s Jon Paul Morosi on Sunday. At least one iteration of the contract discussed was worth $120 million over three years, per Morosi, which would be a record average annual value for a Major League player.
Mets officials did not respond to numerous messages seeking comment.
Even in signing three prominent free-agent hitters, the Mets left one important element of their roster unaddressed. The team’s rotation, long a strength, still contained significant uncertainty given the injury histories of its principal members. And so the Mets continued not just shopping but doing so in places they’ve rarely treaded in the past.
Any deal that brings Scherzer to Flushing would be historic for reasons beyond just money, signaling that the Mets under owner Steve Cohen have become a bona fide free-agent destination. Scherzer, of course, needs no introduction to New York, having spent roughly half of his 14-year career in the NL East. The right-hander won two of his three Cy Young Awards as well as a World Series title in Washington, burnishing what appears to be a Hall of Fame resume.
Overall, Scherzer is 190-97 with a 3.16 ERA in his career for the D-backs, Tigers, Nats and Dodgers. Although he is 37 years old, meaning a three-year deal would take him through his age-39 season, Scherzer has showed only mild signs of slowing. He has won more games with a lower ERA in his 30s than he did in his 20s, though he did scratch himself from World Series Game 6 due to arm fatigue. Scherzer’s 2,536 2/3 career innings rank fourth among active pitchers behind only Zack Greinke, Justin Verlander and Jon Lester.
Even a diminished Scherzer would help the Mets, considering the injury questions surrounding Jacob deGrom, Carlos Carrasco, David Peterson and others. Scherzer and deGrom could potentially form one of the most potent duos in history atop the Mets rotation, with five Cy Young Awards between them.
There is also the simple matter that a Scherzer acquisition would prevent the Mets from having to face him. In 26 career outings against the Mets, Scherzer is 14-5 with a 2.68 ERA. Those numbers include a 10-2 record and 2.14 ERA at pitcher-friendly Citi Field.
In many ways, Scherzer is the top starting pitcher available on the free-agent market. The Mets considered acquiring him at the 2021 Trade Deadline, but he preferred a deal to the West Coast, sources said at the time, leading many within the industry to believe the same would be true in free agency. But by all accounts, Mets officials believed they had a real shot at Scherzer as of late Sunday night -- a notion that became more critical when Kevin Gausman, another Mets target, reportedly signed with the Blue Jays on a five-year, $110 million deal.
And so they waited. The Mets made their initial free-agent strikes on Friday, agreeing to terms with outfielders Starling Marte and Mark Canha as well as infielder Eduardo Escobar on multiyear deals. An agreement with Scherzer would add fuel to Cohen’s vision of making the Mets a perennial NL East contender as soon as the coming season.
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November 29, 2021 at 11:47AM
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Max, Mets close to multiyear deal (source) - MLB.com
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