One of the biggest names on the free agent market has found a new home for the 2022 season. Max Scherzer is in the process of finalizing a 3 year $130M contract with the New York Mets which will make him the highest paid pitcher in the league. The contract, which includes an opt out clause after year two, will see the 37-year old make an average of $43.33M per season.
Scherzer officially becomes the oldest pitcher in MLB history to sign a deal north of $100M with his new deal. Mets owner Steve Cohen has opened the vault in Queens this past weekend, doling out an additional $124.5M combined in contracts for Starling Marte, Eduardo Escobar, and Mark Canha.
A 3 time Cy Young winner, Scherzer joins a Mets rotation that also includes Jacob deGrom in the NL East where he spent parts of 7 seasons with the Nationals. Scherzer was dealt to the Dodgers at last year’s trade deadline along with Trea Turner as Washington struggled to remain competitive down the stretch.
Between the Nats and Dodgers, Scherzer posted a 2.46ERA and career best 0.864WHIP while racking up 236Ks in 179.1IP. He would go on to finish 3rd in NL Cy Young voting and 14th in MVP voting at season’s end. His 3,020 career strikeouts are good for 18th all time on the career total list.
The Mets finished 2021 with a 77-85 record, 11.5 games behind the World Series Champion Atlanta Braves for first in the division.