Max Scherzer wants conversation with Mets' front office
A day after the Mets made their intentions clear by trading David Robertson to Miami for a pair of minor league prospects, Max Scherzer went out and showed he could help the Mets — or any other team in playoff contention.
After the Mets’ 5-1 win over the Nationals, though, the right-hander made it clear he’s not sure if he wants to remain with the team due to the message sent by getting rid of their closer, with more moves possible.
“I probably have to have a conversation with our front office,’’ Scherzer said after the Mets’ second straight win. “You’re trading our closer away. A bunch of people are gonna have a conversation with the front office.”
Scherzer said that talk had not happened yet and he wasn’t sure whether he would initiate it, saying that he needed to speak to the team’s “brass.”
That would include general manager Billy Eppler and owner Steve Cohen, and that conversation would have to happen soon, with trade deadline quickly approaching on Tuesday.
Max Scherzer dominated in his start against the Nationals. Gordon Donovan
Scherzer said he was “disappointed” by the Thursday night trade of Robertson.
“We put ourselves in this position,’’ Scherzer said. “We haven’t played well enough as a team. I’ve had a hand in that.
“You can’t get mad at anybody but yourself, but it stinks.”
Unlike Robertson, who will be a free agent after the season, a trade of Scherzer would be much more complex, since he has a player option worth $43 million next season that he made clear Friday he will be picking up.
“This isn’t like the trade for me out of Washington,’’ Scherzer said, referencing the 2021 deal that sent him from a bad Nationals team to the playoff-bound Dodgers.
“I was about to be a free agent [in 2021] and our season was going south and I wanted to get traded to a playoff contender,’’ Scherzer said.
Mets closer David Robertson is headed to the NL East rival Marlins in a season-altering trade. Corey Sipkin for the NY Post
“This time around, I’m not gonna be a free agent.”
And he noted the Mets are not far removed from success.
“We did great things last year,’’ Scherzer said of the 101-win team from 2022 that lost in the wild-card round to the Padres. “Unfortunately, this year it’s not [great].
“But with Steve and the rest of this organization, you can see a path forward. You can see a path to contend next year.”
Whether Scherzer is a part of that could be determined in the coming days.
Scherzer wants to talk with the front office after the trade of Robertson to the Marlins. Robert Sabo for NY Post
Pete Alonso, who homered twice on Friday, said the Mets understood the “buzz around the trade deadline,” but added, “We’re gonna keep fighting. The season doesn’t end at the trade deadline. The season ends Oct. 1.”
Like Scherzer, Justin Verlander also has $43 million coming to him next season and has been in excellent form in his recent starts, making him more appealing to opposing teams.
He’s due to start for the Mets on Sunday.
Asked about his situation prior to the game Friday, Verlander declined comment with a laugh.
Scherzer did not decline to speak.
“I wasn’t gonna comment on this till Steve was gonna sell,” Scherzer said. “We traded Robertson. Now I need to have a conversation and I will.”
New York Mets starting pitcher Max Scherzer comes off field during the seventh inning during his Friday start. Gordon Donovan
Even after back-to-back wins, with two more games to come against the last-place Nationals and then three at the awful Royals, the Mets are 6 ½ games out of the final wild-card spot, with four teams to pass, and five games under .500 at 49-54.
“Look where we’re at in the standings,’’ Scherzer said. “Our record is our record. Obviously, the front office has decisions to make. Steve has decisions to make.
“We’ve got to understand what the direction of the organization is gonna be.”
Scherzer wants to talk with the front office about “everything,” he said.
“You have to talk to the brass and see what they have to say and what they’re gonna do.”
Source: New York Post
