2 reasons Max Scherzer hasn't been worth the money, 1 reason he has been

When talking about the record-setting payroll the New York Mets have, two names highlight it. Both Max Scherzer and Justin Verlander signed mega-deals to come to New York, with each future Hall of Famer making $43.3 million annually.

While it's too early to make much of the Verlander deal, Scherzer is in year two of his three-year deal. It's been an eventful Mets tenure so far for Scherzer with some highs, and a lot of lows.

Things can always change, but there're more reasons to come up with than not illustrating why Scherzer has not been worth the large contract he got.

NY Mets pitcher Max Scherzer has not been worth the money because he has not stayed healthy

Obviously the talent plays a huge role, but one of the big reasons Max Scherzer is a sure-fire lock for the Hall of Fame whenever he does retire is because of how durable he's been.

From 2009-2018, Scherzer made at least 30 starts each season while pitching at least 170 innings. In 2019 he made 27 starts, in the shortened 2020 season he made all 12 starts, and in 2021 he was able to make 30 starts.

Scherzer had been a workhorse for virtually his entire career, and was expected to be a guy the Mets could rely on to give them starts and innings. Maybe expecting 32 starts each year would be a stretch considering his age, but he hasn't given them enough on that end.

Scherzer made 23 starts last season and has made ten starts so far in 2023. 33 starts in a season and a half is not what the Mets signed up for. Even toward the end of last season it was clear Scherzer was pitching with some discomfort.

NY Mets pitcher Max Scherzer has been worth the money because he's been mostly great when healthy

His faults have overshadowed the good, but when healthy, Max Scherzer has for the most part been very good.

In his 33 starts as a Met, Scherzer is 16-7 with a 2.67 ERA. A 2.67 ERA is a mark virtually anyone would've taken from Scherzer.

He's allowed one run or fewer in 20 of his 33 starts. Allowing one run or fewer in 60.6% of your starts is quite impressive, and most definitely ace material.

Scherzer has gone at least five innings in all but two of his starts as a Met (one of which he was pulled early for a foreign substance) and he's allowed four runs or fewer in all but three starts as a Met.

For the most part, when healthy, you're going to get something similar to a vintage Scherzer outing. He's going to give you six or seven innings and allow two runs or fewer most of the time. The Mets are 21-12 in his starts, and the offense is not the main reason why.