NY Mets rumors of Max Scherzer interest hints at a different door remaining open

Surprising New York Mets rumors of a potential reunion with Max Scherzer hit fans like a ton of—bricks, feathers, or waived no-trade clauses (whichever you prefer, they all weigh the same). Not someone we would’ve necessarily considered this offseason, the idea of signing Scherzer suggests a few things about the Mets.

For starters, they aren’t quite content with the current rotation. Six men deep even if you don’t include Griffin Canning, it could mean bad news for Paul Blackburn who is the weakest of the holdovers from last year. Scherzer’s age could be a reason to believe he’d benefit from some extra rest.

It could very well be “Scherzer or bust” in terms of signing another free agent. If not, these Mets rumors do suggest they might not have completely moved on from the idea of signing some else such as Jose Quintana.

Mets rumors of a Max Scherzer reunion might mean they could circle back to Jose Quintana, too

There aren’t too many remaining free agent starting pitchers who feel like realistic grabs for the Mets. Already at maximum capacity, a separate roster move would be required to even fit everyone together. They aren’t going to have Paul Blackburn and Griffin Canning pitching out of the bullpen this year.

Quintana hasn’t gotten a whole lot of attention this offseason. He turned 36 a few days ago which makes him a more likely candidate for a one-year deal than anything else. Amazingly, his 2024 season was right on-par with much of his career. He was 10-10 (career 102-103 record) with a 3.75 ERA (3.74 in his career). His walk rate wasn’t terrible at 3.3 per 9 with his strikeouts continuing to decrease, falling down to 7.1 per 9. This is the type of pitcher he has been for most of his career.

Quintana would certainly be a candidate to thrive with an extra day of rest before each start. He was at his best last season with an extra day, going 6-3 with a 2.96 ERA in 14 appearances. On the standard four days of rest he was just 2-4 with a 5.29 ERA. This came in 9 starts for the 2024 Mets.

A few different versions of the veteran lefty showed up last year. There were times when he wasn’t so good (May and August), months when he was pretty decent (March/April and June), and then there were those two dominant stretches (July and September). Quintana finished off the year allowing only 2 runs (both earned) in his final 25 regular season frames. He was also reliable in the postseason in the first two rounds.

Knowing when to walk away from a player is an important attribute for any sports executive. It’s a quality NFL legend Bill Belichick was known for during his New England Patriots tenure. The Mets look like they moved on from Quintana completely. However, with just one lefty in the rotation currently and some level of interest in Scherzer, could they surprise us with a Quintana reunion?