The New York Mets have agreed terms on a three-year $130-million-dollar deal with Max Scherzer that will the make the future Hall-of-Famer the best paid player in baseball, US reports said on Monday.
The 37-year-old three-time Cy Young winner, who finished the 2021 season with the Los Angeles Dodgers after being traded by the Washington Nationals, is set to earn a record $43.3 million a season.
If that average annual salary is confirmed, it would make Scherzer the best paid player in baseball.
New York Yankees pitcher Gerrit Cole has the highest annual salary in the sport with $36 million, ahead of the Los Angeles Angels’ Mike Trout ($35.5 million).
Multiple reports said Scherzer’s Mets deal includes a right to an opt out after the 2023 season, and a no-trade clause.
The Dodgers were reportedly keen to re-sign Scherzer following his successful stint with the team, but were outbid by the Mets.
It means Scherzer will be heading to the fifth team of a 15-year Major League Baseball career.
Scherzer, a key member of the Washington Nationals’ World Series-winning line-up in 2019, was sensational after joining the Dodgers in August, going 7-0 in 11 outings with a 1.98 ERA and 89 strikeouts.
He played a crucial role in the Dodgers’ postseason division series win over the San Francisco Giants, closing out a series victory in game five.
However his season ultimately ended in disappointment, when he complained of a dead arm and was unable to start the crucial game six of the National League Championship Series against Atlanta.
