A big domino ahead of August's MLB trade deadline fell on Saturday, as the New York Mets decided to send Max Scherzer to the Texas Rangers in a massive trade that sent shockwaves across the big leagues. With that said, it's a great time to give grades to the Rangers and the Mets for this trade.
Rangers trade return from Mets
Maybe all Scherzer needs to get back to being THE Max Scherzer is new scenery. That's a cliche take on a struggling star, but that doesn't mean it can't be true for the future Hall of Famer. Arlington can be the atmosphere that gives the ace the spark.
Prior to trading for Scherzer, there was an apparent need for the Rangers to add an arm to their rotation, especially following the season-ending injury of Jacob deGrom. And while Scherzer is sporting sub-standard numbers of 4.01 ERA, 1.189 WHIP, and 4.73 WHIP through 19 starts this season before getting sent to Texas, he at least managed to go way over .500 with a 9-4 win-loss record. Thanks mainly to the Mets' offense providing him ample run support more often than not, Scherzer prevented himself from having a losing record during his cup of coffee in Queens.
With the Rangers, run support is going to be the last of Scherzer's problems. The Rangers entered Saturday ranked second overall in the big leagues with a robust 6.22 run support per nine innings for their starters. Only the Atlanta Braves have a higher RS/9 than the Rangers this season. Texas' offense is so good Andrew Heaney is 7-6 this season despite a 4.62 ERA and 5.20 WHIP — both worse than Scherzer's.
Scherzer might be on the decline, but Texas does look like a perfect landing spot for him — a World Series contender that doesn't really need him to be extremely good.
Mets grade for trading Max Scherzer to Texas
Obviously, the Scherzer experience was not all that great for the Mets and the pitcher this season. The Mets inked Scherzer in 2021 to a three-year deal worth $130 million. He looked fantastic in his first year in Queens, posing an 11-5 record to go along with a 2.29 ERA and a 2.62 FIP. But as mentioned earlier, he was not able to sustain that form in his second season with the team, hence his trade to the Rangers.
The call to trade Scherzer was tough for New York, but the Mets also probably did it at the best time given the circumstances. They rid themselves of an underperforming expensive asset, albeit still with a financial obligation to the pitcher, but theoretically in a much better position to land…Shohei Ohtani.
In return, the Mets are getting infielder prospect Luisangel Acuna, who is the younger brother of Braves star Ronald Acuna Jr.
At the time of the trade, Acuna was ranked as the No. 3 prospect on the Rangers' farm system, per MLB.com. So far in his Double-A experience in 2023, Acuna is slashing .315/.377/.453 with seven home runs and 51 RBIs across 362 at-bats. It is going to take a while before the Mets know exactly what they have in Acuna, but it's undeniable that he's showing some promise in the minors. Acuna can be viewed as an above-decent return for the Mets in the Scherzer trade, a move that understandably was not an easy pill to swallow for New York.
Rangers, Mets final trade grades
For the Rangers, it's clear what they're getting from Scherzer. Even though Scherzer will still be with them in 2024 and is due to earn over $43 million that year, a World Series win this season is going to be worth the trade. For the Mets, they got an exciting prospect whose brother offers a bit of a glimpse of what the future could be for him.
Rangers trade grade: A
Mets trade grade: B+
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