The Texas Rangers have reached a deal to acquire veteran right-handed starter Max Scherzer from the New York Mets pending the pitcher's approval, CBS Sports HQ has confirmed. SNY reports that Scherzer "will" waive his no-trade clause, but that has not been officially done yet and that financial issues are still being worked out. The deal would also be pending physicals for both Scherzer and the players sent to the Mets in return.
For the Rangers, the deal would fortify a rotation that, while effective, has been hit hard by the season-ending injury to Jacob deGrom, their marquee offseason addition, and is need of additional depth. For the disappointing Mets, it signals what may be a wider sell-off leading up to Tuesday's trade deadline.
Scherzer, 39, has this season pitched to a 4.01 ERA and 4.03 K/BB ratio in 107 2/3 innings. Over that span, he's allowed an NL-most 23 home runs on the year. While the future Hall of Famer hasn't lived up to his usual standards in 2023, his ERA has been a bit better than the average once you adjust for league and home-ballpark conditions. He's also dealt with neck and back issues this season, including being scratched from a May start with neck spasms, and was suspended for 10 games for excessive sticky stuff in April.
The three-time Cy Young winner is in the second year of a three-year, $130 million deal he inked with the Mets in November 2021. The contract includes an opt-out after the current season. If Scherzer declines to opt out, then he'll be under contract for 2024 at a salary of $43.3 million.
Scherzer recently expressed disappointment in the Mets' decision to position themselves as sellers with the trade of closer David Robertson to the Marlins. The signal that the Mets would in essence bow to their slim current playoff odds may motivate him to waive his full-no trade protection and approve the deal to Texas.
The Rangers enter Saturday's slate with a 60-44 record. While they continue to occupy first place in the American League West, the reigning Word Series-champion Astros presently trail them by just a pair of games. If the deal goes through, Scherzer will lead a rotation that currently Nathan Eovaldi, Jon Gray, Andrew Heaney, Dane Dunning and Martín Pérez. Texas already added reliever Aroldis Chapman in a pre-deadline trade with the Royals in late June.
