Mets walk-off the Dodgers, and examining the viability of trading one of their aces
Max Scherzer looked like himself in the series finale, the bullpen was strong, and Luis Guillorme - who failed in his bunting assignment - came through with the game winning RBI anyway
What’s Up with the Mets? ⚾️
It took ten innings but the Mets finally won their first game of the second half with a 2-1 win against the Dodgers (box)
Max Scherzer was fantastic in his seven innings pitched. He gave up just one hit and struck out six
Scherzer has not allowed a run against Los Angeles in ten innings pitched this season
Luis Guillorme drove in the winning run in the tenth with a single to bring home the ghost runner, this after failing to get a bunt down to move Brett Baty to third with one out. It was his first career walk-off hit and RBI
Trevor Gott was only able to get one out in the eighth while giving up two hits and a walk
David Robertson was able to pitch for two innings despite not being called upon in the eighth. He allowed just one hit in his appearance and picked up the win
The Mets are now 6-1 in extra inning games this season and are 16-3 in extras since 2022 which is the best record in the majors over that timeframe, they improved to 14-16 in one-run games this season, 37-4 when leading after seven innings, 12-1 when their starting pitcher goes at least seven innings, 15-13 against the NL West, 27-11 when scoring first, and 7-4 in July
This was the first time the team won on a walk-off by a pinch hitter since Patrick Mazeika’s walk-off fielder’s choices on May 7 and May 11, 2021
Injury Updates 🏥
Sam Coonrod (lat strain) pitched a scoreless inning in his first rehab assignment with St. Lucie
Trade rumors 🤐
The Mets appear positioned to be sellers at the trade deadline, and could look to move both Max Scherzer and Justin Verlander, even if it means eating a large chunk of their remaining salaries (New York Post)
Today’s Game 🗓
The Mets will enjoy an off day before welcoming the White Sox to Citi Field.
The Mets should and will shop Max Scherzer, but how much value does he really have out there? ✍️
In the series finale against the Dodgers, Max Scherzer proved to be the ace the Mets have been searching for all season, holding a very powerful Los Angeles lineup to just one hit and no runs in seven innings.
It was a vintage Scherzer start and it felt especially sweet since the last time he faced the Dodgers he was ejected from the game over having too much '“sticky stuff” on his hands earlier this year in LA.
It was a tantalizing start for a team that has decisions to make as the trade deadline approaches. Was it enough to make teams interested in making a deal? His ERA sits just below 4.00 at 3.99 in seventeen games and his WHIP of 1.18 is at its highest since the shortened 2020 season. His home run rate per nine and walk rate per nine are also both up even as the strikeouts are still there. He has a 2.47 BB/9 rate and a 1.71 HR/9 rate which are both less than ideal. His slider - while impressive on Sunday night - has been extraordinarily vulnerable this season after arguably serving as his best pitch in 2022.
So the question remains is it worth it to trade Scherzer, an obviously diminished pitcher attempting to reinvent himself at the latter stage of his career?
In order to get anything of value back the Mets will undoubtedly have to eat the rest of the money owed to him for the remainder of the season, which is around $15 million of his $43 million salary as of August 1. Scherzer would have to agree to waive his no-trade clause too, which could make any deal tricky to begin with.
In addition, Scherzer holds a $43.3 million player option for 2024, which any receiving team has to weigh considering the season Scherzer is having and the likelihood of him exercising that option in November.
Speaking of which - why would another team, even if that team needs a rotation piece, trade any meaningful prospects to get the soon-to-be 39-year-old Scherzer with that player option hanging over their heads like a cold bucket of water in 2024?
The only way Scherzer could be a financially palatable trade piece for another team is if he agrees to waive that player option. But considering he would have to give way in his existing contract to agree to a deal to begin with, why would he give more way, and so much guaranteed money to go elsewhere right now?
This next point is also worth considering as well.
Even if the Mets find a deal to their liking, and Scherzer agrees to it, where does that leave the organization next season in their rotation? They would have to sign another expensive starting pitcher (or two, or three) anyway or head into the season, and it would be a rinse/repeat excerise with Tylor Megill, David Peterson, or Joey Lucchesi in the rotation mix too, a hard sell to a fanbase who would like to move on from this failure of a season.
Having said all of that, maybe it’s not a matter of it being worth it for the Mets to move him as much as it’s a matter of their ability to move him. Maybe it’s both. And, can Mets GM Billy Eppler be trusted to even get anything of value back? He does not exactly have a great track record given how last year’s deadline panned out.
From my seat, their best bet would be to hold on to Scherzer and hope that the pitcher that took to the mound against the Dodgers will be the one the continues to show up for the rest of the contract.
Around the League 🚩
The Orioles continue to move up the standings and are now just one game out of first place after they won their eighth straight game
The Yankees were walked-off by the Rockies as they dropped the series against the team with the worst record in the National League
The Blue Jays reportedly have interest in a reunion with RHP Marcus Stroman
The Padres are now 0-9 in extra inning games this season after being walked-off by the Phillies in twelve innings
Guardians RHP Shane Bieber is dealing with elbow inflammation and will be shut down for two weeks