Max Scherzer and Justin Verlander, two aces of the New York Mets pitching rotation, share the same sentiments regarding waiving their no-trade clause. Club owner Steve Cohen did not rule out the possibility of the team selling assets as the August 1 trade deadline approaches as the Mets sit fourth in their five-team division with a record of 36-45.
The Mets continued their slump, losing a close 3-2 game against the Milwaukee Brewers on Thursday at Citi Field. Scherzer gave up two earned runs through six innings of pitching, with nine strikeouts in the defeat. After the game, Scherzer was asked about the no-trade clause in his contract but noted that he would only go into details about his decision once Cohen made plans clear for the club's immediate future.
"I'll comment when Steve says sell," Scherzer said at the possibility of the Mets trading away assets during the trade deadline. "Until then, it's pointless. He drives this, so talking about anything in the contract is pointless. I'm here to show up to win. That's all I'm here to do. I continue to believe that we're gonna win."
Verlander, who makes $43.3 million (£34m) with the team this year, echoed the statement adding that there is only a point in discussing his individual choices regarding his contract with the team once Cohen is clear about the team's vision during the deadline. He added that while the team is not performing up to expectations in their recent slump, he is not ready to give up on the team that's shown glimpses of success through the season.
"Everyone has seen flashes of it, and I keep saying if I were on the other side, we would be a team that every time we come here to play, I'd say, 'I hope this isn't when they click," Verlander said to the media. "And as a playoff team, I wouldn't want to face us."
As the trade deadline quickly approaches, the Mets have issues in several key areas on the baseball field, including both starting and relief pitching and offense - despite carrying a roster that features Pete Alonso, who sits third on the MLB stat leaders for most home runs this season. His 24 home runs on the year fall short of only Matt Olson of the Atlanta Braves (26) and Angels all-around threat Shohei Ohtani (29.)
The Mets starting pitching rotation is the only group since their 2006 rendition that has pitched 100 total innings from four starters 34 years old or older. Jose Quintana, also a key piece to their starting rotation, suffered a rib injury and is expected to return in July - further depleting their rotation while relying on fill-in starters in a patch-up effort.
Because of the lack of firepower in the starting rotation, Mets manager Buck Showalter has had to rely on his bullpen to win late games in clutch moments. As the club continues not meeting expectations, Cohen said he would consider trading away players if the team did not improve before the deadline while not adding new players until the team performs.
