The Max Scherzer era in New York has come to a close. After 42 starts across parts of two seasons, the star RHP is headed to Texas in exchange for 21 year old prospect Luisangel Acuna.
24hrs after expressing frustration with the Mets front office for dealing then closer David Robertson to the Miami Marlins, the 39 year old hurler was sent to the Rangers, pending Scherzer waiving his no-trade clause. As part of the deal, the former Met has agreed to opt in for the 2024 season with Texas.
After posting a sparkling 2.29 ERA in 2022 with New York, Scherzer, much like the rest of the Mets roster, has struggled thus far in 2023. His 4.01 ERA and 10.1 K/9 rate are both Scherzer’s worst marks since the 2011 season when the 6’3’ righty was a 26 year old with the Detroit Tigers.
Nevertheless, the 3x Cy Young winner is a proven winner, and comes with championship experience after winning the World Series with Washington in 2019. He’ll now join a Rangers rotation that features Nathan Eovaldi, Jon Gray, Andrew Heaney, and Dane Dunning.
Texas currently sits atop the AL West with a 60-45 record, 1 game clear of the Houston Astros for the division lead. The Rangers feature the highest scoring offense in baseball with 606 runs plated through Saturday, but featured a middle of the pack pitching staff that ranked 16th in ERA (4.22), 27th in strikeouts (833), and 24th in walks (311).
Rangers GM Chris Young and company will hope that Scherzer can help anchor the front of their rotation, and play a key role in the team’s postseason run. That being said, it’s unlikely that the front office is done dealing, as All-Star catcher Jonah Heim was recently placed on the IL. Adding a veteran catcher, and some bullpen help (the club had been previously linked to Padres closer Josh Hader) could still be in the cards before the August 1st MLB trade deadline.
Heading back the other way is brother of Braves star OF Ronald Acuna Jr, Luisangel. Prior to being dealt, the younger Acuna was hitting .315 with 7HRs, 51RBIs and 42SB in 82 games for Double-A Frisco.
The right handed bat has proven to be a 5 category contributor, much like his older brother, having stolen 40+ bags in each of the last 3 seasons. Texas’ 3rd rated prospect is likely to become one of the Mets top prospects immediately upon joining the organization. The middle infielder is expected to be MLB ready in time for the 2024 campaign according to most scouting services.
As part of the deal, New York has agreed to pay all but $22.5M of Scherzer’s salary through 2024, totalling close to $35M through next year.
-Kyle Skinner
Twitter: @JKyleSkinner
Photo: All-Pro Reels. This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.0 Generic license.