The blockbuster commerce of Max Scherzer leaves way more than a void atop the Mets’ rotation.
The workforce additionally loses a veteran presence whom teammates and supervisor Buck Showalter raved about after the Texas Rangers acquired the three-time Cy Young Award winner over the weekend for minor-league infielder Luisangel Acuna.
“I watch Max in here the day after he pitches,” Showalter stated Sunday. “I’m here by 12, and I hear those girls and boy running down the hall with him, where he’s not Max, he’s dad. He takes them on the field when nobody’s around. I see what he and [wife] Erica meant to the organization so it’s hard, but in order to get someone like Acuna, it’s some of the things you have to do.”
Scherzer, 39, is within the second season of a three-year, $130 million contract. Sending the right-hander to Texas established the underachieving Mets (50-55) as full-blown sellers forward of Tuesday’s commerce deadline.
The transfer left Mets star Pete Alonso “shocked,” he stated after Saturday’s recreation.
“Max wasn’t around the clubhouse and I didn’t really see him around today, so that’s when I knew it was like, ‘Oh man, this is legit. This isn’t just, like, clickbait.’ … It’s a loss for us for sure,” Alonso stated.
Outfielder Brandon Nimmo additionally stated he was shocked by the Scherzer deal.
“We kind of knew that anything could be on the table now,” Nimmo stated Saturday night time. “We weren’t sure how far this might go but knew these were possibilities. I would say ‘shocked’ is definitely the right word.”
Alonso and Nimmo’s reactions resonated with Showalter.
“It’s a challenge for them and us,” Showalter stated earlier than Sunday’s win over the Nationals. “I talk to them every day whether someone’s been traded or not. Sometimes it’s just sitting down in the food room. Sometimes it’s just sitting down in the locker room before the doors open. I’ve got a feel for it. There’s a lot of things that they kind of let me in on, what they’re feeling and thinking that’s certainly not public.”
Scherzer has a 4.01 ERA this season, his worst mark in over a decade. The Rangers hope the right-hander can return to kind with pitching coach Mike Maddux, who held the identical position throughout Scherzer’s Cy Young seasons with Washington in 2016 and 2017, and bolster a rotation that misplaced ace Jacob deGrom to elbow surgical procedure.
Candidates to fill Scherzer’s spot within the Mets rotation embody Tylor Megill, who allowed two runs in six innings Saturday with Triple-A Syracuse, and David Peterson, who has a 5.92 ERA however has discovered success this month pitching in reduction.
The Mets additionally traded nearer David Robertson to the Marlins final week for a pair of minor leaguers as normal supervisor Billy Eppler makes an attempt to retool the group’s farm system.
In Acuna, the Mets acquired one of many Rangers’ prime prospects. The 21-year-old is the youthful brother of Atlanta Braves celebrity Ronald Acuna Jr.
Acuna, who had superior to Double-A with Texas, will initially play shortstop within the Mets’ system however is anticipated to see time at second base and in heart area as properly, Eppler stated Sunday.
DIAZ CONTINUES PROGRESS
Mets reliever Edwin Diaz continues to progress from the torn patellar tendon he suffered throughout March’s World Baseball Classic, however he’s not able to return to a mound, Showalter stated Sunday in his newest replace.
Diaz hasn’t dominated out returning this season, however exams on his injured left knee point out it nonetheless isn’t as robust as his wholesome knee, in keeping with the Mets supervisor.
“He’s right where he needs to be, meeting all the benchmarks,” Showalter stated. “Nothing’s changed about how we’re looking at it.”
Diaz threw within the outfield final week. The 29-year-old signed a 5-year, $102 million cope with the Mets within the offseason after posting a 1.31 ERA and 32 saves because the workforce’s nearer final yr.
MARTE DOING WELL
Starling Marte can also be making strides towards getting back from the migraine complications which have stored him out since July 16.
The speedy outfielder feels “a lot better” after getting a second medical opinion, Showalter stated this weekend.
“I think he feels a lot more confident about having his arms around what he’s dealing with,” Showalter added Sunday. “He’s gonna go on the trip with us. Yesterday, we weren’t sure if that was gonna happen. … He’s planning on going to Kansas City and continuing his work to get back into baseball-playing mode.”
Marte, 34, has batted .254 with 5 residence runs in 84 video games this season, his second with the Mets.
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Source: www.bostonherald.com