The king of MLB free agents is heading to Queens.
Max Scherzer reportedly has agreed to a three-year, $130 million deal with the New York Mets, making it the largest in MLB history based on annual value.
MLB Network insider Jon Heyman first reported that the Mets were “finalizing” the deal on Monday.
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The move headlines a chaotic free agency period for the Mets. The team lost veteran starter Noah Syndergaard, as he signed a one-year deal with the Los Angeles Angels. New York then thought it was going to reunite with lefty Steven Matz, but he wound up joining the St. Louis Cardinals, much to the dismay of team owner Steven Cohen. The front office followed that up by bringing in Starling Marte, Mark Canha and Eduardo Escobar on free agent contracts.
Now, the Mets have another ace to pair alongside Jacob deGrom.
The move brings Scherzer back to the NL East after he spent six and a half seasons with the Washington Nationals. During his time in the nation’s capital, he was named an All-Star six times, won two NL Cy Young Awards and took home a World Series title in 2019.
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Scherzer was dealt to the Los Angeles Dodgers ahead of the 2021 trade deadline in a swap that also included former Nationals shortstop Trea Turner. The right-hander went 7-0 with a 1.98 ERA in 11 regular-season starts with the Dodgers post-deadline.
Scherzer also had four postseason appearances in 2021 before the Dodgers fell to the eventual World Series champion Atlanta Braves in the NLCS.
For his career, Scherzer has a 197-90 record to go along with a 3.16 ERA, eight All-Star nods and three Cy Young Awards.
