After winning 101 games a year ago, the Mets have fallen well short of expectations in 2023, and with a few days until the trade deadline, appear poised to be sellers at this point.
That began in earnest on Thursday night, when the team shipped closer David Robertson to the Marlins, a division rival, in exchange for two deep farm system prospects. Robertson stepped into the closer role after the spring injury to Edwin Díaz, and proved to be one of the only reliable members of a very shaky New York bullpen.
Much of the Mets’ trade deadline attention now turns to the futures of aging starting pitchers Max Scherzer and Justin Verlander. Scherzer, who led the team to a 5–1 win over the Nationals on Friday night, spoke about the situation after the game, acknowledging how his own struggles this season have helped lead the Mets to this point.
“Disappointed. I mean, obviously, we put ourselves in this position. We haven’t played well enough as a team,” said Scherzer. “I’ve had a hand in that for why we’re in the position that we’re at. Can’t get mad at anybody but yourself, but it stinks.”
Max Scherzer on the Mets trading David Robertson yesterday:
— SNY (@SNYtv) July 29, 2023
"Disappointed, obviously. We put ourselves in this position. We haven't played well as a team. I've had a hand in that for why we're in the position that we're at. Can't get mad at anybody but yourself but, it stinks" pic.twitter.com/ewIXfDUc9K
Scherzer has a player option with the Mets worth $43.3 million in ’24, and signaled that he intends to pick it up after the season, saying “I have another year here” when asked about a potential trade. He also has a no-trade clause, and can dictate whether the team is able to move him over the next few days. When asked about the direction of the team, he pointed to owner Steve Cohen and the front office.
“You have to talk to the brass. You have to understand what they see, what they’re going to do,” Scherzer said per ESPN. “That’s the best I can tell you. I told you I wasn’t going to comment on this until Steve was going to sell. We traded Robertson. Now we need to have a conversation.”
With the resources that Cohen poured into the team for 2023, it seems unlikely that he is ready to fully rebuild for next season, even with how disappointing this campaign has been. The team’s decisions on Scherzer and Verlander will be very telling in that regard.
After Friday’s win, the Mets (49–54) are 17 games back in the NL East and 6.5 behind the Marlins for the final wild-card spot.
