Scherzer: 'Weird Thing' To Start for New York Mets Knowing He'd Be Traded

Max Scherzer said that Justin Verlander made his last New York Mets start knowing that he would be traded, too.

Max Scherzer knew it was coming. So did Justin Verlander. In fact, the two former New York Mets commiserated around the oddness of their situation before their separate trades unfolded.

The Mets dealt Scherzer on Saturday to the Texas Rangers. The Mets then dealt Verlander to the Houston Astros on Tuesday, ending what many had hoped would be a pairing of multi-Cy Young winners that would lift the Mets back to a World Series.

Instead, the pair became casualties of a team reset.

Scherzer last pitched for the Mets on Friday, with Verlander starting on Saturday. Before Scherzer’s trade, he said the pair talked about knowing they might be making their last starts in New York.

“He was going to have to make his start against the Nationals, knowing that he's going to be traded,” Scherzer said on Tuesday in Texas. “And that's how weird that was. And I was like, ‘Yeah, I had that happen in 2021 against the Phillies, where I was making a start, basically knowing I'm getting traded.’ It's a weird, very weird thing. So we were kind of reliving that.”

So, there was no surprise for Scherzer when the Mets dealt Verlander.

He also said that the players weren’t expecting this and that the Mets’ situation changed fast.

“Just understanding that there's been a vision change in the Mets and that kind of happened (quickly),” Scherzer said. “No one in the organization was thinking that way — at least from the player's side — nobody in the clubhouse thought we were going to completely tear down for 2024. And here we are.”

It’s possible that Scherzer and Verlander will meet later this year, as the Rangers and Astros have three games left in September. Scherzer will also make an appearance at Citi Field in late August when the Rangers visit.

He said he appreciated the chance to be teammates with Verlander again, after the pair were in Detroit from 2010-14.

“It was great to pitch with him again, see where he's developed, where he really has excelled, where he really sees the game, how he sees his pitches and what makes him tick, where he sees success,” Scherzer said. “It was a good chance to catch back up with him and see where his game is at.”