New Texas Rangers Ace Max Scherzer On Mets: 'Math Changed For Them'
ARLINGTON, Texas – Max Scherzer did not think he was leaving New York.
Not until he heard it straight from the mouth of New York Mets owner Steve Cohen.
The three-time Cy Young winner joined the Texas Rangers clubhouse Tuesday after the team acquired him in a trade days before the deadline.
"Considering how we thought of our team in Spring Training? Yes. It is [a surprise]. We came in with World Series aspirations in New York. Steve had gone out there and done everything in the world to provide a winning ballclub for the Mets organization. And unfortunately, we didn't play up to par," said Scherzer, who will make his first start for the Rangers on Thursday against the Chicago White Sox.
"Unfortunately, we just didn't have enough wins in the win column to continue to add at the deadline. And because of that, [they] had a fundamental shift in what the Mets wanted to do as an organization."
Scherzer was told by general manager Billy Eppler and then Cohen that the Mets no longer considered themselves to be contenders. Not just for this season, but in 2024, as well. The Mets were in fourth place in the NL East and five games under .500 going into Tuesday.
"All the guys that were still under contract for next year, we kind of thought with Steve there that we would reload. That was just kind of the sentiment amongst the clubhouse," Scherzer said. "I never thought I was going to get traded.
"Then a couple of days ago, I had some players across the league texting me, saying 'Hey, we made some trade offers for you. Are you going to get traded? Would you accept the trade?' I was like, I didn't think I was gonna get traded."
Scherzer, who is 9-4 with a 4.01 ERA in 19 starts, took his share of the blame for the Mets' struggles.
"A lot of guys didn't play up to the standards. Me, myself, I'm accountable for that," he said. "You know, obviously, I would like to be pitching better this year. I'm just not. I'm doing everything I can in my power to fix it."
Scherzer was taken aback when Eppler told him that the club was shifting its strategy and looking to make decisions that were longer-term than Scherzer's contract which runs through the 2024 season. The Mets traded Justin Verlander to the Houston Astros early Tuesday.
'Okay, that's brand new news to me, different than what I'd ever heard out of Steve's mouth. So I was like, 'All right, I got to hear this directly from Steve,'" Scherzer said.
Cohen shared the same vision of the club during a phone call with Scherzer.
"That was the new vision for the Mets, that was the new timeline that they were identifying and that players that were under contract for next year, that they could be potentially sold off at the deadline right now and that the team could be really flipped around at the deadline," he said. "And so once it became official, that's their vision for the Mets, then I said, 'yes, I will waive my no-trade clause at that point, under those pretenses.'"
Scherzer, who turned 39 on Thursday, still seemed shocked by the quick demise of the Mets, who lead the league in 2023 payroll at $344 million, $65 million more than the next-closest club.
"The Mets went into the season with high expectations, rightfully so," he said. "We had a very good team. Unfortunately, we didn't play up to it. And because of where everybody is at within their contract situation — age, everything — Billy and Steve, they had a different vision. The math changed on them."
The Rangers traded minor league infielder Luisangel Acuña to New York for Scherzer. The Mets will pay $22.5 million of Scherzer's total salary of about $37.5 million through next season.
"I totally get where they're coming from. I understand from roster construction what was going on in New York," Scherzer said. "That's a decision they had to make and it's tough making those decisions, but that's why they're paid the big bucks to be able to make those decisions."
You can follow Stefan Stevenson on Twitter @StefanVersusTex.
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