Mets need to hold tight to their pair of aces, Scherzer and Verlander
Justin Verlander of the Mets looks on before a game against the Nationals at Citi Field on Friday. Credit: Jim McIsaac
Max Scherzer was glowering in the way only he knows how.
He took his share of the blame for how this Mets season has gone and for the fact that general manager Billy Eppler declared open season on his roster by trading David Robertson on Thursday. But he also said he is due for a conversation with the front office.
The subject?
“Everything.”
“You traded our closer away,” he said Friday night. “You’ve got to understand what [the front office] is going to do. This isn’t like a trade for me out of Washington [when] I was about to be a free agent. Our season was going south. I wanted to be traded to a playoff team . . . This time around, I’m not going to be a free agent.”
But he could be . . . or he could be traded.
If he decides to waive his no-trade clause, Scherzer could be another name sent to parts unknown. Even if he doesn’t, it’s possible that whatever he hears from Mets brass might motivate him to exercise his opt-out and become a free agent this offseason.
And this is why you don’t trade Justin Verlander.
Rumors of a Verlander trade started gaining traction around the same time Robertson was moved, with MLB.com reporting that the Astros and Rangers have significant interest.
In fact, you’d be hard-pressed to find a contending club that couldn’t benefit from slotting Verlander into the rotation. He’s the prettiest girl at prom, and if available, everyone would like a dance.
If you’re Eppler and you’re trying to build a sustainable farm system, it’s a tempting idea.
Turn on the lights. Cut the music. Because there’s no way Steve Cohen should let that happen.
Sure, Verlander will attract a heftier return than Robertson did, but getting rid of a three-time Cy Young Award winner as he’s reclaiming vintage form doesn’t signal “lost season,” it signals “rebuild” — particularly as the Mets have yet to ink Pete Alonso to a long-term deal.
It’s the type of thing that turns off other superstars from coming to New York, and, for guys like Scherzer and Alonso, at least makes them question if this is where they want to stay.
It’ll also be a transaction of Eppler’s making and, though he has proved adept at scouting emerging talent, he’s also ultimately responsible for building what so many have called the worst team money can buy.
That’s not an absolute judgment on the job he’s done, simply the reality of what it means to be a general manager. He hasn’t had enough success yet to earn the trust of a fan base that’s been badly burned by a team that’s out of the playoff race before Aug. 1 despite its record-breaking payroll.
While we’re at it, add this very important wrinkle: Cohen has made no secret that he intends to hire a president of baseball operations this offseason, meaning that Eppler likely won’t be the head decision-maker for that much longer.
Trading Verlander, meanwhile, could significantly shift the picture on this coming offseason, something that potentially complicates the baseball ops search and certainly complicates the organization’s short-term goals.
It gets even hairier when you consider that Jose Quintana’s name has surfaced in trade rumors and that the only member of the rotation we’re reasonably certain will be on the team next year is Kodai Senga.
“We’re trying to balance the best interests of the team but also balance the best interests of the organization,” Eppler said. “Sometimes those are more perpendicular than they are parallel. It’s tough.”
Eventually, though, the organization is nothing without the team. No one is crowing about a Triple-A World Series. And trading Verlander right now is too much of a high-risk gambit.
For what it’s worth, Verlander said after his Subway Series start that the front office hadn’t approached him about waiving his no-trade clause. Another reporter and I approached him again Friday to ask him if that still is the case. When he realized we wanted to talk trade deadline, he laughed loudly and walked away.
It’s a fair reaction, and one Eppler should borrow: When the other GMs call and ask about Verlander, just laugh and walk away.
And while we’re at it, maybe everyone can start channeling a bit more of Mad Max, too.
When asked if the Robertson trade will influence what he decides to do next, he replied: “Gotta have a conversation with the front office.”
He has underperformed this year, but there’s never been a doubt that Scherzer cares about winning sooner rather than later. He certainly cares about 2024.
It’ll behoove the Mets’ brass to do the same.
Laura Albanese is a reporter, feature writer and columnist covering local professional sports teams; she began at Newsday in 2007 as an intern.