Max Scherzer and Jacob deGrom spent one season together in New York, but the relationship they formed in that short time might be why the duo just became teammates again.
Scherzer held a no-trade clause and could have blocked the trade that brought him to Texas this past weekend, but he needed some convincing.
First, he needed to speak to Mets brass about their visions for the future. And after Mets general manager Billy Eppler and owner Steve Cohen told him that they were re-tooling and planning to contend again as early as 2025, the year after his contract expired, Scherzer needed to speak with his former teammate to see if Texas was the right place for him.
“When it did become Texas was on the radar, I was just trying to get a feel for what the organization was about,” Scherzer said to reporters. [deGrom said] how much he really enjoyed all the guys and the staff here and that this was a great situation, great fit. The guys were playing hard and playing well together and that this was a good situation for him. And if I were to come over, it’d be a great situation for myself as well. So knowing a little history, knowing him as well made it a little bit easier to put trust in his words. And you know, I believe what he said and, you know, excited to be here.”
The Rangers view Scherzer as their ace for the rest of this season and next, though deGrom, who underwent an elbow ligament repair around seven weeks ago, could return in the second half of the 2024 season, allowing the two former Cy Young winners to form a 1-2 punch at the top of the rotation.
“He’s intense and he’s going to compete like nobody else,” deGrom said via Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News. “He’s going to help the Rangers win. And that’s going to be fun.”
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