Max Scherzer spoke with The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal after being traded by the Mets, and revealed that New York is moving forward with what seems like much more of a rebuild than a reload.
Scherzer had told reporters the day before he was traded that he needed to have a talk with Mets brass about the team’s outlook after trading David Robertson, and in that talk, he asked general manager Billy Eppler if the team was reloading for 2024.
“He goes, ‘No, we’re not,’” Scherzer told Rosenthal. “’Basically our vision now is for 2025-2026, ‘25 at the earliest, more like ‘26. We’re going to be making trades around that.’”
Scherzer told Rosenthal that Steve Cohen echoed exactly what Eppler had told him, meaning the team was gearing up for a more long-winded rebuild, and that players under contract through 2024 would also be available via trade, even Pete Alonso if the right offer came around.
“I was like, ‘So the team is not going to be pursuing free agents this offseason or assemble a team that can compete for a World Series next year?’” Scherzer said, detailing his conversation. “He said, ‘No, we’re not going to be signing the upper-echelon guys. We’re going to be on the smaller deals within free agency. ‘24 is now looking to be more of a kind of transitory year.’”
Follow Ryan Chichester on Twitter: @ryanchichester1
Follow WFAN on Social Media
Twitter | Facebook | Instagram | YouTube | Twitch
Listen live to WFAN:
Audacy App | Online Stream | Smart Speaker (just say ‘Play W-F-A-N’)