“I didn’t want to leave”
Once again, the trade deadline was a hot topic in Major League Baseball. While the Los Angeles Angels and Shohei Ohtani were initially the center of attention, all eyes turned to the New York Mets after the Angels reversed course. After spending an astronomical 700 billion won before the season, the Mets, whose chances of reaching the postseason have disappeared, have turned into sellers.
The Mets, who have been known to sweep up players with their “big hands,” have been just as bold in letting them go. The Mets were the first to part ways with ‘closer’ David Robertson, and they also parted ways with Max Scherzer and Justin Verlander, the most expensive duo in the majors at $43.33 million. The Mets even threw in some “salary relief” money in the process of letting the Cy Young legends go.
When the Mets shipped Max Scherzer to the Texas Rangers, they paid him $35 million for the remainder of this year’s salary and a portion of his salary for the 2024 season. And when they traded Verlander to the “hometown” Houston Astros, they paid $35 million for this year and part of next year’s salary, as well as $17.5 million for half of his option for 2024, which is automatically triggered when he pitches 140 innings in 2025. That’s $87.5 million for parting with one of their best pitchers.
The reason for the Mets’ sudden turn to “sellers,” even though their postseason hopes have been dashed, is evident in the comments made by the “210-win” Scherzer during his press conference after the move to Texas. According to multiple U.S. media outlets, Scherzer told local reporters after a game against the Washington Nationals on March 29 that he wanted to “have an opportunity to discuss the direction of the team with general manager Billy Eppler”. It was a call Scherzer received.카지노
Several major league teams contacted Scherzer, saying, “Our team is making a trade offer, would you consider waiving your no-trade clause?” Scherzer said. In a conversation with Eppler, Schuerzer asked if he should “forgo this season and rebuild for the 2024 season”. Eppler’s response was a resounding “no.” “What we’re looking at now is 2025-2026. The 2025 season is the earliest case, and then we move to win the championship in 2026.”
“So you’re not going to sign any free agents this offseason, and you’re not going to build a team to compete for the World Series in 2024?” Schuerzer asked, to which Eppler replied, “In the free agent market, we don’t move to get top-tier players. We are only making small free agent signings for 2024. There will be a lot of changes in 2024.”
Schuerzer met with owner Steve Cohen and had a conversation with him, but he echoed what he had heard from Eppler. “If the Mets were going to win in 2024, I didn’t want to leave,” Schuerzer said. House.