"The Mets had the right idea in making Max Scherzer the highest-salaried pitcher of his generation three years ago. It was easy to envision Scherzer as a co-ace to Jacob deGrom fronting a championship rotation. But the problem with that $130 million contract was the execution. Rather than being the final Cooperstown-worthy piece for a title run, Scherzer's Flushing legacy ultimately is one of failure."
"Stranger still is how it happened. Scherzer said among the primary reasons he wound up with Toronto this season - other than the $15.5 million - was the recruitment by one of his former Mets rotation mates, Chris Bassitt. Scherzer and Bassitt were rock-solid for most of that 2022 season together with the Mets but then were complicit in engineering one of the most disappointing flops ever by a Mets rotation."
"That winter, Bassitt signed a three-year, $63 million deal with the Blue Jays, and four months into the regular season, Scherzer's trade request was granted. The Mets shipped him to the Texas Rangers in a deal that amounted to buying prospect Luisangel Acuna for a $35 million chunk of Scherzer's remaining salary. And now? Scherzer is pitching for a third World Series ring with his third different team."
The Mets signed Max Scherzer to a $130 million contract intending him to serve as a co-ace with Jacob deGrom. Execution of that plan faltered, and Scherzer's tenure in Flushing is remembered as a failure. Scherzer and Chris Bassitt were effective for much of 2022 but the rotation collapsed late, including a season-ending sweep in Atlanta and a Wild Card Series loss. Bassitt later signed with the Blue Jays, and Scherzer was traded away to the Rangers before joining Toronto, partly influenced by Bassitt's recruitment and a $15.5 million deal. Scherzer now starts Game 3 of the World Series at age 41.
Read at Newsday
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