A day after Max Scherzer made public his frustration over the Mets’ trading of David Robertson, it appeared the right-hander also was going to be headed out of town.
The Post’s Jon Heyman reported the Mets agreed to a deal with the Rangers that, as of Saturday afternoon, was still pending the approval of Scherzer, who has a full no-trade clause in his contract.
The Rangers had pulled some minor leaguers from their games.
Scherzer, who said Friday he wanted to talk to the Mets’ “brass,” wasn’t in the clubhouse prior to the game Saturday night against the Nationals, but manager Buck Showalter said he was confident the veteran right-hander still wanted to remain with the team.
“Max has made it very clear, when he wakes up in the morning, he wants it to be here,’’ Showalter said. “It’s the way he’s always felt. He likes it here. He’s taken it on and all the responsibilities come along with it.”
Still, Scherzer made it clear he wanted answers from Mets ownership and the front office about where the team was going in the wake of the trade of their best relief pitcher to NL East-rival Miami.
There was plenty of other uncertainty around the roster, as well.
According to Showalter, Scherzer has “earned the right” to speak his mind, as he did Friday.
As sources said Saturday, it’s not unusual for Scherzer to talk with team personnel, so those conversations were likely to happen regardless of his ultimatum.
Justin Verlander, scheduled to start against Washington on Sunday at Citi Field, hadn’t spoken since the Robertson trade, but he’s another candidate to be moved before the trade deadline this coming Tuesday.
And the two veteran right-handers aren’t alone.
Outfielders Tommy Pham and Mark Canha, both on one-year deals, are viable trade chips, as is left-handed reliever Brooks Raley, although he has an option for 2024.
Scherzer and Verlander, who both signed this past offseason, were expected to be atop a rotation that led the Mets back into the playoffs after a 101-win season a year ago.
Instead, Verlander missed the first month of the season with a strain near his shoulder blade, then got off to an inconsistent start when he got healthy. Verlander has been excellent over his past six starts.
Scherzer has been far more inconsistent and acknowledged Friday the subpar performance of the team — including himself — had put the front office in a position to have to make some difficult decisions.
But he wasn’t happy about it.
“I probably have to have a conversation with our front office,’’ Scherzer said Friday after the Mets’ second straight win. “You’re trading our closer away. A bunch of people are gonna have a conversation with the front office.”
Scherzer, who turned 39 this past week, has a $43.3 million player option for next season that he is expected to sign up for, which made dealing him that much tougher, especially considering his underperformance for most of this season.
Verlander is also owed $43.3 million next season and has a vesting option worth $35 million for 2025.
Despite the investment, the Mets haven’t sniffed .500 in the second half of the season. Trading Robertson on Thursday indicated that the Mets would sell, although it was unclear how severe it would be.
Trading Scherzer would change that.
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