A few weeks ago I was a panelist on Baseball Night in NY on SNY, and we were all doing an off season fantasy draft for the Mets.
I had the first pick, and naturally it was an easy call. Go get Max Scherzer.
As easy of a call as that might have been, I prefaced my answer with the disclaimer that I didn’t believe there was a chance in hell the Mets would land one of the best pitchers of his generation.
Well, fast-forward a couple of weeks and the Mets and a whole lot of Steve Cohen’s money convinced Scherzer to come back East.
I was in a state of shock hearing the news on Sunday night that the Mets had become the front runners to acquire Scherzer. The expectation all summer and fall was that Max Scherzer preferred to stay on the West Coast. I guess those preferences can change when you are offered more than 40 million dollars a year over the next three seasons.
I’m sure there are plenty of folks wondering if it’s practical for the Mets to go and give a 37-year-old pitcher 40 plus over the next three seasons.
With the current resources of Steve Cohen and the New York Mets, it was an absolute no brainer.
The Mets needed a difference making starting pitcher to pair with Jacob deGrom and no disrespect to any of the other pitchers on the open market, but none of them have the same sort of presence as Max Scherzer. Scherzer loves to compete. Scherzer wants the ball. Scherzer wants to win.
The idea of pairing Max Scherzer alongside deGrom in a postseason series is as frightening as it gets for opponents throughout the National League.
If healthy, it is hands down the best 1-2 punch in baseball.
Can deGrom and Scherzer duplicate the success Scherzer had with Stephen Strasburg in winning the 2019 World Series?
Can deGrom and Scherzer be the 2022 version of Curt Schilling and Randy Johnson for the Mets?
It is impossible to find elite starting pitching in this modern day era and the Mets have two bonafideย studs. There have been a few instances where the Mets have made moves that have seriously put them on the map in an offseason.
I was not on this earth when the Mets acquired Gary Carter, but I do remember the day the Mets traded for Mike Piazza and the winter they brought in Pedro Martinez and Carlos Beltran. The energy, excitement and positivity amongst the fan base is a quite contrast to what it was just a week ago.
The Mets signed Starling Marte, Eduardo Escobar and Mark Cahna over the weekend, three terrific players, but it was the under card.
The Mets flexed their financial muscle to land the seemingly unattainable big fish, so will it lead to big results?
I’m putting my money on yes.
Especially considering the Mets aren’t done shopping! It must be nice for a franchise that spent too many years shopping at the discount racks to now be shopping at Tiffany’s.
It will be tough for Mets fans to get a better holiday present than Max Scherzer under the tree…
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