The New York Mets have been Major League Baseball's biggest disappointment so far this season and the local media isn't letting them off the hook. The latest example came on Thursday, when WFAN's Evan Roberts called Max Scherzer and Justin Verlander "mercenary pieces of crap."
The Mets were swept by the Atlanta Braves last week and the last two of those losses came with their expensive aces on the mound. Scherzer and Verlander combined to surrender 10 runs (nine earned) in only 8.2 innings. New York's offense bailed both of them out by scoring runs, but the team lost anyway.
Here's what Roberts had to say:
Scherzer is in the second season of a three-year, $130 million deal, while Verlander is in the first season of a two-year, $86.7 million deal. They're both making $43.33 million this season. Neither has pitched up to his expected standard.
Scherzer is currently 5-2 with a 3.71 ERA, a 1.18 WHIP and 58 strikeouts and 14 walks in 53.1 innings. In 2022, he went 11-5 with a 2.29 ERA, a 0.91 WHIP and 173 strikeouts against 24 walks in 145.1 innings. He's fallen off significantly.
Verlander is coming off of winning a Cy Young Award with the Houston Astros last year and has barely been league average in 2023. He's 2-3 with a 4.85 ERA, a 1.33 WHIP and 33 strikeouts against 13 walks in 39.0 innings. In 2022, he was 18-4 with a 1.75 ERA, a 0.83 WHIP, with 185 strikeouts against 29 walks in 175 innings. He's just a different guy.
Scherzer is 38 and Verlander is 40. Maybe both guys have just finally hit the wall. The two legendarily durable pitchers have both dealt with injuries over the past few years and it could be impacting them.
Mets fans won't let them stop hearing about it though. They expect both to be aces and have been disappointed so far.
This article was originally published on thebiglead as Evan Roberts Calls Max Scherzer And Justin Verlander 'Mercenary Pieces of Crap'.
