3 former NY Mets players near the end of their careers getting no free agency buzz

2) Max Scherzer

Max Scherzer exited the Mets on a sour note, pitching to his worst ERA in several years at 4.01. He was better with the Texas Rangers down the stretch and this past year missed even more time than Verlander. Scherzer would make just 9 starts and go 2-4 with a 3.95 ERA for a Rangers club suffering from a championship hangover.

Scherzer isn’t quite as depleted as Verlander appears to be. Health was his biggest obstacle to overcome. A team looking for some type of a veteran presence on their roster to maybe give them 15 productive outings should be more willing to make him their man. He turned 40 in late July, putting him already over the hill but apparently not done with baseball yet as long as someone signs him to what we can only expect is a one-year deal well below what he is used to getting.

The Tigers, again, make some sense. Nostalgia aside, they’re one of the few teams who could get a hometown discount of sorts. Another ball club that could always add him to fill out a roster spot are the true hometown St. Louis Cardinals. Scherzer was born there and after they built a rotation in 2024 with Lance Lynn and Kyle Gibson in it, this wouldn’t be such an outrageous replacement.

If you find any significant rumor about where Scherzer could go in 2025, sign me up to be your scavenger hunt partner. Direct to streaming Nicolas Cage films get more buzz these days.