MLB Rumors: Mets Will Discuss Max Scherzer, Justin Verlander Trades Ahead of Deadline

The New York Mets are reportedly ready to make some moves ahead of the Aug. 1 trade deadline.

ESPN's Buster Olney reported "veteran players on short-term deals," including starters Max Scherzer and Justin Verlander, could be made available in the coming days.

"What I'm hearing from sources this morning is, the Mets at this moment are measured sellers," Olney said Sunday on SportsCenter. "Veteran players on short-term deals are players that they will talk about moving. Guys like Mark Canha, Tommy Pham, David Robertson. Yes, they will talk about Max Scherzer, Justin Verlander, but remember those guys have full no-trade clauses. They would have to okay any proposed deal."

The Mets sit at 46-52 coming into Sunday's game against the Boston Red Sox and are baseball's most disappointing team. They are 17.5 games behind the Atlanta Braves for first place in the NL East and sit seven games out of a Wild Card berth.

Scherzer, 38, can become a free agent this winter but seems likely to opt into his $43.3 million player option for next season given his inconsistent performance in 2023. The right-hander is 8-4 with a 4.20 ERA and 1.19 WHIP, numbers that would represent his worst full-season performance in over a decade.

It's possible Scherzer could hit the market in hopes of landing a long-term deal that takes him into his 40s at a lower per-year rate, but that will likely depend on how he fares the remainder of the season.

Verlander has seen a marked decline in performance during the first year of his two-year, $86.7 million contract. He currently sits at 4-5 with a 3.47 ERA and 1.16 WHIP. While those numbers are fine in the macro sense, Verlander's strikeout rate has plummeted to just 7.6 per nine innings—by far his lowest mark since 2015. Verlander's K/9 had been over 9 each of his last six seasons.

It's unclear what type of market the Mets would have if they seriously shopped either of the two aces. Both players are in New York at the moment because the Mets front office seriously outbid every other team. The Mets would almost certainly have to eat a significant amount of salary in order to land a trade worth making, which would render the agreement moot.

Odds are the Mets will focus on smaller moves to lessen the payroll and tax bill for this season while keeping stars like Scherzer and Verlander for a run in 2024.