NEW YORK — The New York Mets have their man.
Three-time Cy Young winner Max Scherzer is heading to the New York Mets on what’s expected to be a three-year, $130 million deal, according to multiple reports.
Scherzer, 37, spent the second half of last season with the Los Angeles Dodgers after being traded by the Washington Nationals at the deadline.
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After coming over to the Dodgers, Scherzer went 7-0 with a 1.89 ERA and 89 strikeouts in 68.1 innings pitched as the Dodgers made a push to try and win a second-straight World Series title. They came up short in the NLCS as the Braves defeated the Dodgers on the way to their World Series win.
If the reported numbers on Scherzer’s deal are correct, that will be around $43 million in average annual value, which would break the current average annual value record in the big leagues of $36 million, held by Yankees starting pitcher Gerrit Cole.
The Mets fell short of expectations last season, finishing the year 77-85. They brought in Francisco Lindor prior to last season and then acquired Cubs shortstop Javier Baez at the deadline, but couldn’t make their way to the playoffs.
With two-time Cy Young winner Jacob deGrom already in the rotation, along with solid starters in Marcus Stroman and Taijuan Walker, the Mets will likely have one of baseball’s best starting rotations with the addition of Scherzer.
The Mets will be looking to make the playoffs for the first time since 2016.