Max Scherzer

Scherzer brought championship experience, fierce competitiveness, and a full-volume personality to the first major spending era under Steve Cohen. The Mets did not get the October ending they wanted, but his starts still felt like events.

Scherzer joined the Mets before 2022 with three Cy Young Awards, a fierce reputation, and the expectation that he would lead the first Steve Cohen superteam. His personality matched the assignment. He attacked hitters, challenged umpires, and treated every start as a personal argument. When he was healthy, the Mets looked like the kind of club that should be planning for October.

He went 11–5 with a 2.29 ERA in 2022 and helped the Mets win 101 games. A strained oblique cost him time, and the late collapse against Atlanta pushed the team into the Wild Card round, where San Diego ended the season. Scherzer pitched well enough to remind everyone why he had been signed, but one October loss made the year feel smaller than the regular-season work deserved.

The 2023 season became the breaking point. Injuries and uneven results led to a trade deadline deal with Texas, where Scherzer eventually won another championship. Mets fans never got the postseason run they imagined, yet they did get the full Scherzer experience: brilliant strikeout nights, visible frustration, and a veteran who made every game feel important. The ending was disappointing, not meaningless.