The Texas Rangers' big swing at the trade deadline to land Max Scherzer in a deal with the New York Mets wasn't contingent on the three-time American League Cy Young winner receiving additional financial compensation.
Per ESPN's Jeff Passan, Scherzer "never asked for additional financial compensation" to approve a deal to the Rangers.
Scherzer had control over any potential deal thanks to the full no-trade clause he negotiated into his contract with the Mets when he originally signed with the team in December 2021.
Before the deal was approved in the evening on July 29, there was a period of a few hours when it seemed like it could fall apart. SNY's Andy Martino and Steve Gelbs reported Scherzer was willing to waive his no-trade provision, but the finances were still being worked out.
Andy Martino @martinonycMax Scherzer will waive his no-trade clause to go to the Texas Rangers, sources tell me and <a href="">@SteveGelbs</a>. However, the trade is NOT complete, according to a source. There are other issues to work through, not on the players being exchanged but on the financial side.
Per Jon Heyman of the New York Post and MLB Network, Scherzer wanted to retain his optionality by not opting in to his $43.3 million salary for 2024.
All the parties eventually worked things out, including Scherzer opting in to his deal for next season and the Mets paying a significant part of his remaining salary.
Jeff Passan @JeffPassanFull details of the trade, per ESPN sources:<br><br>Texas receives Max Scherzer<br><br>New York receives 21-year-old shortstop Luisangel Acuña, the brother of Atlanta star Ronald Acuña Jr. <br><br>Scherzer opts in to 2024.<br><br>The Rangers will pay Scherzer $22.5M. The Mets will cover $35M-plus.
Speaking to The Athletic's Ken Rosenthal on Aug. 1 following the trade, Scherzer explained he wasn't "itching to jump ship" from the Mets but general manager Billy Eppler told him during a meeting that also included owner Steve Cohen their new plan was to build a contender for 2025 and beyond.
"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?' (Eppler) 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,'" Scherzer said.
The Rangers needed to make a splash, both to hold off the Houston Astros in the American League West and increase their chances to potentially make a deep playoff run.
Their rotation took a huge hit on July 30, one day after the Scherzer trade, when Nathan Eovaldi was placed on the injured list with a forearm injury. Manager Bruce Bochy told reporters on Aug. 4 it would take at least two or three weeks before the right-hander was going to be activated.
Texas also landed Jordan Montgomery and Chris Stratton in a trade with the St. Louis Cardinals on July 30 to provide reinforcements to the pitching staff.
The Rangers are in the midst of an eight-game winning streak that has improved their record to 68-46. They are currently 2.5 games behind the Baltimore Orioles for the best record in the AL.
Scherzer has won each of his first two starts with Texas, allowing four earned runs with 15 strikeouts in 13 innings.
