The New York Mets are making a huge push to sign ace Max Scherzer away from the Los Angeles Dodgers. MLB.com's Jon Morosi reported Sunday night that the Mets have talked about a three-year deal worth $120 million, which would be an MLB record for average annual value. SNY's Andy Martino reported an offer worth $42 million annually for three or four years. There have been multiple versions of a contract discussed, but the bottom line is that Scherzer is evidently “close to finalizing a multiyear” deal with New York, per Morosi.
However, the deal isn't done yet, and the Mets are currently playing a waiting game:
While Mets have already checked out and approved of Max Scherzer’s medicals (and other teams may have too), Mets remain in wait mode on their top target.
— Jon Heyman (@JonHeyman) November 29, 2021
One rival exec last night saw nothing unusual in delay, saying, “All the Boras side items (in a contract)” take time. Also difficult to imagine Scherzer, a union leader, turning down perceived highest offer. But as Mets learned with Bauer, not over until agreement is reached. https://t.co/Sj5CYuB5Kf
— Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) November 29, 2021
It sure looks like the Mets are the leader in the clubhouse for Scherzer's services, but he wasn't quite ready to pull the trigger on a decision Sunday night. The Dodgers are surely doing what they can to bring back the star pitcher after acquiring him in a trade with the Washington Nationals this past season, but perhaps they're not comfortable going as high as New York is with this historic offer.
Scherzer was mostly dominant as a member of the Dodgers, going 7-0 with a 1.98 ERA in the regular season after the trade. He was a bit shaky in the NL Wild Card Game against the St. Louis Cardinals in a victory and was then dominant against the San Francisco Giants in the NLDS both in one start and as the closer in the series-deciding Game 5.
The 37-year-old didn't have his best stuff in the NLCS against the Atlanta Braves, though, and he only made one start in the series because of a dead arm. Los Angeles lost the series in six games.
Still, while Scherzer's season didn't end on the best note, the Mets are still comfortable paying him huge money based on his overall track record. A decision should be coming soon.