In the most surprising move of the MLB trade deadline so far, Mets starter Max Scherzer has been traded to the Texas Rangers. So far this season Scherzer has a 4.01 ERA in 107.2 innings pitched with 121 strikeouts, 30 walks, a 1.19 WHIP, and an ERA+ of 103. The Mets will be getting Luisangel Acuna, the third-best prospect in the Rangers system, and younger brother of Ronald Acuna Jr. The Mets will also be sending the Rangers $36.6 million to help cover Scherzer’s salary. This is a massive trade with major impacts on both sides.
Impact on Texas Rangers
This is an all-in move for the Texas Rangers. They have been one of the best teams in the MLB this season, currently sitting at the top of the American League West with a record of 60-44. This has primarily been due to the success of their offense. They lead the MLB in hits, runs, RBIs, batting average, and OBP. They’re also ranked in the top five of the other stats not mentioned before.
However, despite this, their pitching hasn’t been as good. It hasn’t been horrific or has cost them lots of games. The issue is it’s just an average pitching staff. Other than Nathan Eovaldi there is really nothing to write home about. This is fine to have for the regular season, but when the postseason comes around your pitching staff can make or break you. There is no one on this Rangers pitching staff you would feel comfortable starting game seven or an elimination game. This is why the Rangers went out and acquired Scherzer.
Now the question is, is Scherzer still the player who can be that big-name pitcher for the Scherzer? Sure he’s been incredibly successful throughout his time in the majors. He is a first-ballot Hall of Famer and will go down as one of the best pitchers of the 2010s. However, ever since September 2022, time has started to catch up with Scherzer. His struggles in the game against the Braves, as well as game one of the wild card series against the Padres, are the biggest reason for the Mets short commings last season. This season he’s been wildly inconsistent. He’ll have some starts where he looks like the pitcher we’re used to seeing. Then have somewhere he looks washed and shouldn’t be on the major league mound. He leads the National League in home runs allowed. It’s a very high-risk, high-reward trade for the Rangers.
Impact on the New York Mets
With this trade, the Mets have officially waved the white flag on the 2023 season. This is something that seemed unimaginable when the season started, but poor performances have forced the Mets to look at the big picture. When you have the highest payroll in baseball history, and find yourself under .500, something needs to change. Now originally when the idea of the Mets being sellers was brought up, Scherzer was not a name people were expected to move. It was a number of factors like age, performance, contract, etc., but the fact that the Mets were able to signal to everyone, that they are open for business. Everyone is available.
Despite this, the Mets aren’t about to enter a long-term rebuild. Instead, the Mets will be going into more of a retool. They are going to trade players like Tommy Pham, Mark Canha, Brooks Raley, and maybe even Justin Verlander. This will help rebuild their farm system, and take some money off the books. The Mets will then try to develop these new additions and add them to the big league roster. This on top of Cohen’s spending will help the Mets turn things around quickly. This turnaround could happen as quickly as next season, but a more realistic goal would be 2025.
Now as far as this trade is concerned, this is an incredible return for the Mets. As mentioned before Acuna is the third-best prospect in the Rangers system. He’s also the 44th-best prospect overall according to MLB.com. He should become the Mets’ top prospect, at the very least he’ll be in the top two. He’s a middle infielder with an insane amount of speed. He’ll be a perfect leadoff hitter and should hit the majors as soon as next year. Through 84 games in double-A, Acuna has a slash line of .315/.377/.453 with 7 home runs, 51 RBIs, and 42 stolen bases.
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