Max Scherzer and his Texas Rangers are opening a three-game road series against the New York Mets at Citi Field Monday night.
The three-time Cy Young winner was traded from New York to Texas ahead of the Aug. 1 MLB trade deadline. He lasted less than two full seasons in the Big Apple after signing a two-year, $86.7 million contract ahead of the 2022 campaign. To say that the future Hall of Famer’s stint with the Mets didn’t go swimmingly would be an understatement.
Mets fans let Scherzer know exactly what they think about him during a video tribute ahead of Monday night’s game with a Bronx cheer. Check out the widespread booing Scherzer had to suffer through as he waived to Mets fans in an awkward manner:
The end of that video was definitely cringe worthy. Unfortunately for those who love the drama of the game, Scherzer is not slated to pitch during the three-game set.
Following his trade from the Mets, Scherzer spoke out publicly how things turned behind the scenes between the all-time great pitcher and the organization.
“I talked to Billy (Eppler). I was like, ‘OK, are we reloading for 2024?’ He goes, ‘No, we’re not. Basically our vision now is for 2025-2026, ‘25 at the earliest, more like ‘26. We’re going to be making trades around that.’”
“I was like, ‘So the team is not going to be pursuing free agents this offseason or assemble a team that can compete for a World Series next year?’ He said, ‘No, we’re not going to be signing the upper-echelon guys. We’re going to be on the smaller deals within free agency. ‘24 is now looking to be more of a kind of transitory year.’”
Max Scherzer on the New York Mets
Scherzer, 39, pitched to a 9-4 record with a logy (by his standards) 4.01 ERA in 19 starts with the Mets before being dealt to Texas. He’s been much better with the Rangers.
Related: Max Scherzer and the top 2023-24 MLB free agents
Max Scherzer stats (w/ Rangers): 3-1 record, 2.64 ERA, 0.91 WHIP, 11.7 Ks per nine
There certainly is no love lost between Scherzer and Mets fans. In reality, those who support New York’s “other team” have just been frustrated all season.
The Mets entered Monday’s game against Texas with a 60-71 record and in last place in the National League East. As for the Rangers, they currently sit at 73-57 and would be playing playoff baseball if the season ended today.