Even if the New York Mets made a strong effort to trade aces Justin Verlander and Max Scherzer before the Aug. 1 deadline, it seems they would have to do so at a bargain rate that would get them nowhere close to a worthwhile return.
The New York Mets are at a bit of a crossroads heading into the MLB trade deadline. The team has been a massive disappointment in 2023 despite having the largest payroll in league history. Without a doubt, players like Pete Alonso, Jeff McNeil, Starling Marte, and Francisco Lindor having down years have been a big part of their poor performance.
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However, the team’s pitching staff has been far more of an issue. The bullpen has been overworked and the back of the starting rotation has been outright bad at times. However, maybe the most frustrating thing is that expensive aces Justin Verlander and Max Scherzer have not pitched like elite pitchers. With both making over $43 million apiece this season they need All-Star play from the pair and have instead gotten an inconsistent showing from the aging duo in 2023.
Unsurprisingly, with the Mets under .500 and far behind in the divisional and Wild Card races, the big question has been on if they will be sellers at the trade deadline. While several impending free agents will garner interest, the two future Hall-of-Famers seem, on the surface, like game-changer talents many contending teams would want in a trade market with few star pitchers available.
New York Mets would have to pay off most of aces’ contracts in potential trade
Well, it seems that if the New York Mets did make Verlander and Scherzer available, they would not get anywhere near an acceptable return since it seems their value around MLB has declined in a major way. On Wednesday, Will Sammon of The Athletic got opinions from scouts and executives around the league about the trade value of two starters, and it wasn’t too good.
The common belief was that New York would need to “pay at least two-thirds of either of the pitchers’ remaining salaries” in any potential deal. So in the case of Verlander, they would need to pay for the rest of his contract this season and a good part of 2024 to make a deal possible.
Yet, even after they fork over that money, one executive claimed they would not get a top 100 prospect in return either. “I just don’t think their ability level warrants more than that, especially given their age.” Another top MLB decision-maker was plain in his assessment of where the two greats are at this point in their careers.
“They are twos and threes; they’re not ones anymore, for sure,” the executive said. “But they are paid like ones, and that’s the problem.”
Essentially, the New York Mets are stuck with both, for better or worse, because they will not get a fair return in a trade for them this year or next.