If the Thursday trade of David Robertson to the Marlins didn’t communicate that the Mets are punting on the 2023 season, Saturday’s deal sending Max Scherzer to the Rangers surely did. Francisco Lindor said he anticipates there will be more departures from the clubhouse and Brandon Nimmo said, “As far as this year is concerned, we’re getting rid of some guys.”
The Scherzer deal introduces an even greater concern for the Mets: the 2024 season.
The $130 million contract Scherzer signed with the Mets before the 2022 season would have kept him in Queens through the 2024 season. After the Robertson trade, future Hall of Famer Scherzer made it clear on Friday night that he wanted to understand the direction of the team. One day later, he waived the no-trade clause in his contract to accept the move to Texas.
Asked what this means for 2024, Pete Alonso said, “I am sure there’s implications. Right now I am just perplexed about the Max trade. I don’t know what it means for the future.”
Lindor, who is signed through 2031, said he spoke with general manager Billy Eppler about the direction of the club after the Robertson and Scherzer trades came together.
“I don’t call it a rebuild — I call it a transition that we are in,” he said. “I’m here for a long time. I’m here to try to win championships, but also to . . . be part of an amazing organization. So this is one of those [things] where you want to win and you want to win now, but you also need to have stability. From my understanding, that’s what I’m seeing.”
It was a given that there would be interest in some of the Mets who are becoming free agents at the end of the season, such as outfielders Tommy Pham and Mark Canha. But if the exchange of current assets for prospects is a long-term strategy, other Mets could be in play before Tuesday’s trade deadline.
At the top of the list is 2022 AL Cy Young Award winner Justin Verlander, who is in the first year of a two-year, $86 million…
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