The Texas Rangers agreed to acquire three-time Cy Young Award winner Max Scherzer from the New York Mets on Saturday and are waiting on Scherzer’s approval, according to multiple reports.
Scherzer has a no-trade clause in his contract and would have to waive it for the deal to be consummated.
It wasn’t immediately known what the Mets would receive in the deal for the right-hander, who turned 39 on Thursday. Various reports said the Rangers didn’t have some of their prized prospects in their respective minor league lineups on Saturday.
Scherzer is in the second season of a three-year, $130 million deal with New York that he signed as a free agent following the 2021 season.
Scherzer was highly disappointed publicly when the Mets traded closer David Robertson to the Miami Marlins on Thursday night.
“I probably have to have a conversation with our front office,” Scherzer said after Friday’s win over the Washington Nationals. “You’re trading our closer away. A bunch of people are gonna have a conversation with the front office.”
The deal with the Marlins seemed to indicate the Mets weren’t going to load up to make a run at a National League wild-card spot this season. New York is a disappointing 49-54 entering Saturday’s game against Washington.
The first-place Rangers are trying to hold off the defending World Series champion Houston Astros in the American League West.
Scherzer is 9-4 with a 4.01 ERA in 19 starts for New York this season, on pace for his highest ERA since a 4.43 mark with the Detroit Tigers in 2011 when he was only 26.
Scherzer won the AL Cy Young Award in 2013 with Detroit and earned the NL Cy Young in 2016 and 2017 with the Washington Nationals.
He is 210-106 with a 3.15 ERA in 449 career appearances (440 starts) with the Arizona Diamondbacks (2008-09), Tigers (2010-14), Nationals (2015-21), Los Angeles Dodgers (2021) and Mets.
–Field Level Media