MLB trade grades: Mets ship Max Scherzer to Rangers in blockbuster move

The Mets and Rangers have a done deal: veteran ace Max Scherzer in return for a young shortstop. Here are the trade grades.

The first domino for the New York Mets has fallen. Well, second if you count the David Robertson deal.

As first reported by NY Post’s Jon Heyman and finalized by ESPN’s Jeff Passan, the Mets are trading Max Scherzer to the Texas Rangers in return for shortstop Luisangel Acuña.

This trade was contingent on Scherzer waiving his no-trade clause, and after much back-and-forth, it was revealed that the veteran pitcher approved the trade.

New York signed Scherzer to a three-year, $130 million deal heading into the 2022 season in the team’s quest to build the ultimate World Series-contending squad. Money doesn’t buy success, however, and the Mets have since slumped to a 59-54 record and are 6.5 games out of a playoff spot.

Scherzer has posted a 4.01 ERA this season, his worst ERA in the past decade. Considering both the pros and cons, who won this trade?

MLB trade grades: Who won the Mets-Rangers Max Scherzer deal?

Here are the details, per Jeff Passan:

Luisangel Acuña is a 21-year-old shortstop and the brother of Braves star Ronald Acuña Jr. The top prospect is slashing .315/.377/.453 in 84 games for the Frisco RoughRiders in Double-A.

Also, as part of the deal, Scherzer is opting in to 2024. Texas will pay Scherzer $22.5 million, and New York will cover $35 million-plus of his salary.

New York Mets trade grade: B+

This trade needed Max Scherzer’s approval to go through, and thank goodness for the Mets, they got it.

Scherzer’s contract was getting too big to handle, and whatever happened during Scherzer’s sit-down with the Mets’ front office clearly wasn’t anything reconciliable. By offloading Scherzer now, the Mets save a good chunk of money for the future and get a No. 3 ranked prospect from the Rangers. Overall, pretty good.

The argument that the Mets never should have signed the veteran pitcher in the first place is a moot point. Yes, the Mets put themselves into this position, but they got themselves out of it without paying another arm and a leg.

In the younger Acuña, the Mets get a fast bat with solid power potential. He’s not taking Lindor’s spot anytime soon, yet receiving a top-five prospect in return for an aging and declining vet is bottom-line decent. The Mets could have done much worse.

Texas Rangers trade grade: C+

With one of the best farm systems in the league, giving up shortstop Luisangel Acuña won’t hurt the Rangers too much in the long term. Still, the question must be asked: did the Rangers have to give up a top-five prospect?

In Scherzer, the Rangers are basically replacing one former Mets ace (Jacob deGrom) with another. This plan backfired then, and may very likely backfire again. Like deGrom, Scherzer has been the picture of teetering fragility this season, owning a troubling history of injuries that includes neck and back issues. As a result, he’s been playing some of his worst baseball while barreling toward the age of 40; he has allowed an NL-most 23 home runs on the year and is far removed from his past All-Star seasons.

If Scherzer can stop his 2023 skid and lead the Rangers deep into the playoffs, this trade may end up panning out well. But we’re not going to bet on Scherzer miraculously finding his form on the mound, and neither should the Rangers.

Texas gets a barely above-average grade for this one.