When Steve Cohen—AKA the richest owner in baseball—took over the New York Mets last winter, he promised to make a big splash. He quickly lived up to that promise, wheeling and dealing for Francisco Lindor before scooping up Javier Baez at the trade deadline. Those moves now look like mere ripples in the ocean, however, when compared to the blockbuster deal the Mets’ struck for Max Scherzer on Monday. Clocking in at three years and $130 million, Scherzer’s deal eclipses Gerrit Cole’s $36-million-per-year contract as the highest AAV in MLB history, with Mad Max expected to pull in over $43 million dollars per season. That’s about $13,000 per pitch, as some have calculated …
But wait, it gets even crazier. As things currently stand—a long, long way from Opening Day, it should be said—the Mets are expected to pay more for Scherzer in 2022 than some franchises will for their ENTIRE ROSTERS.
The Pirates and Orioles are obviously trash. In fact, this stat is more of an indictment of their front offices than the Mets’, even if the latter might be paying a 40-year-old $43 million come 2024 (Scherzer’s deal reportedly includes an opt-out clause after year two). Still, it’s pretty hard to fathom one man who plays defense once every five days making more than two full teams. It’s also hard to comprehend that that man posted the lowest ERA of his career in 2021 at the age of 37. Nothing about this makes any human sense.
Then again, it doesn't need to. Steve Cohen is worth $13 billion, give or take the stock market that day, and when you're that wealthy, the puzzle pieces don't need to fit perfectly. To Cohen, Scherzer isn’t caviar and fine French brut. He’s a Happy Meal. So eat up, Mets fans. Lord knows you’re hungry.
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