Mets Trolled by Fans for Dismantling Rotation with Justin Verlander, Scherzer Trades

The New York Mets are the laughingstock of Major League Baseball.

After entering 2023 with the highest payroll in baseball and astronomical expectations, the Mets have traded two future Hall of Famers in Max Scherzer and Justin Verlander over the last three days as they continue to spiral out of playoff contention with a 50-55 record.

New York traded Scherzer to the Texas Rangers on Sunday in exchange for prospect Luisangel Acuña, the younger brother of Atlanta Braves star Ronald Acuña Jr., and are also reportedly trading Verlander to the Houston Astros in exchange for two minor league players.

With Steve Cohen seemingly waiving the white flag on the 2023 season, baseball fans didn't hold back in trolling the club on deadline day:

The Mets signed Scherzer to a two-year, $86.6 million contract ahead of the 2022 season, but he has put together a down year by his standards in 2023, posting a 9-4 record with a 4.01 ERA, 1.19 WHIP and 121 strikeouts in 107.2 innings across 19 starts.

Verlander signed a two-year, $86.7 million deal with the Mets ahead of the 2023 campaign after winning his third Cy Young in 2022. He went 6-5 in New York with a 3.15 ERA, 1.14 WHIP and 81 strikeouts in 94.1 innings across 16 starts.

José Quintana, Kodai Senga and Carlos Carrasco are now the highlights of New York's rotation. With two of their best pitchers off the books, the Mets aren't expected to be very competitive for the remainder of the season.

That said, parting ways with two of their most movable assets for future considerations might have been the best move the club, especially as they aim to build a World Series contender in the future.