A few weeks ago, I was a panelist on “Baseball Night in NY” on SNY discussing a fantasy off-season haul for the Mets.
I had the first pick, and naturally it was an easy call. Go get Max Scherzer.
As easy as that call 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 when I heard the news on Sunday night that the Mets had become the frontrunners 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 a year over the next three seasons.
I’m sure there are plenty of folks wondering if it’s practical for the Mets to give a 37-year-old pitcher that much money over the next three seasons.
But with the current resources of Steve Cohen and the New York Mets, it is 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, none of them have the presence of Max Scherzer.
Scherzer loves to compete. Scherzer wants the ball. Scherzer wants to win.
The possibility of pairing Scherzer with deGrom in a postseason series is as frightening as it gets for opponents in the National League. If they both stay healthy, it is hands down the best one-two punch in baseball.
Can deGrom and Scherzer duplicate the success Scherzer had with Stephen Strasburg and win 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 bonafide studs.
There have been a few instances when the Mets made moves in the offseason that drew the attention of the rest of Major League Baseball.
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 among the fan base is quite a contrast to what it was just a week ago.
The Mets signed Starling Marte, Eduardo Escobar and Mark Cahna over the weekend. Those are three terrific players, but apparently it was just the undercard.
The Mets flexed their financial muscle to land the seemingly unattainable big fish, but 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 browsing the discount racks for a bargain 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.
You can listen to my podcast “New York, New York” every Sunday, Tuesday & Thursday on The Ringer Podcast Network on Spotify & Apple Podcasts.
