March 28, 2024

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Max Scherzer welcomes pressure to play in the Big Apple

Max Scherzer welcomes pressure to play in the Big Apple

New York – Max Scherzer The pressure is not strange.

As the 37-year-old Hall of Famer prepares to begin his tenure as a member of the New York Mets, Law knows the spotlight and scrutiny will be stronger than ever during his career.

He will earn $43.3 million a season, the highest in sports history, after signing a three-year, $130 million contract earlier this week.

“Pressure is a privilege, not a problem,” Scherzer said during his opening press conference on Wednesday.

Scherzer picked New York this off-season after showing for the Los Angeles Dodgers and Washington Nationals during the 2021 campaign, when he finished third in the NL Cy Young Award vote and posted a career best 2.46 ERA.

Mets owner Steve Cohen, team boss Sandy Alderson and general manager Billy Eppler welcomed Scherzer, who called from Zoom with his agent Scott Borras.

“It’s a great day for the New York Mets,” Cohen said. “It’s a better day for our fans.”

Scherzer indicated that he will play an important role in shaping the Mets’ culture, which faced controversy last season when the team decided to boo the fans for booing their performance on the field while others entered into discussions with the media on Twitter.

“Behind the scenes can change, and it only takes a few guys to do it,” Scherzer said.

Scherzer’s interest in joining the Mets began with an introductory call from Zoom with Cohen and Eppler.

“Steve said it’s all it takes to win here,” Scherzer said. “He sees this as if he wants to win a championship and will do whatever it takes to win. You don’t hear that much from owners these days. And when you finally hear that an owner wants to do whatever it takes to win. That obviously piqued my interest.”

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Eppler said Scherzer has been at the top of the team’s free-agent wish list this off-season, especially after leaving from Noah Sendergaard And Stephen Matz Through a free agency this off season.

“We’ve started this season, and we’ve had a real impact on our club,” said Ebler. “Working with Max, we’ve learned that he has a special way of perceiving the game. In every sense, he’s a professional. He brings the audacity and obsession with winning to our club.”

Scherzer’s signature creates a world-class tandem with two-time winner Cy Young, Jacob Degrom, at the top of the Mets rotation.

Scherzer reached out to Degrom after meeting Ebler and Cohen to find out what it’s like to play for the Mets.

“I walked out happy with him,” Scherzer said. “A dream of playing with him, we can do great things together.”

Another factor that influenced his decision, Scherzer said, was his proximity to his wife and children in Jupiter, Florida. Spring training in the Mets is close at hand in Port St. Lucy, while New York is three hours away by plane compared to the West Coast.

Despite his advanced age, Scherzer has not shown many signs of slowing down, winning more games with less time at 30 than at age 20. Carlos Carrasco Nor would he be a thorn in the side for his new team, as Scherzer was 14-5 with a 2.68 ERA in 26 starts against the Mets, including a 2.14 ERA at Citifield. .

Scherzer joins the gardener Mars starling And Mark Kanha and the player Eduardo Escobar As part of a significant amount of spending to rebuild the roster after New York took third place in the NL East, bringing the team’s payroll to over $240 million.

The Mets also need to name a manager after turning down a team option on Luis Rojas, who led the team to a record 103-119 in two seasons.

The final decision Scherzer will have to make will be his shirt number. Scherzer used 37 with the Detroit Tigers and 31 with the Nationals and Dodgers; Both numbers are currently unavailable.

In the end, his reason for choosing to race the Mets was the chance to win another championship.

“At this point in my career, I had all these things together, and that’s when I said it was going to be a New York Territory,” Scherzer said.