The New York Mets reportedly are prepared to pay up and then some in order to land one of the best pitchers in all of baseball.
A series of reports Sunday night indicated the Mets and Max Scherzer were nearing an agreement on a contract. The New York Post's Joel Sherman on Monday morning followed up with details on the reported offer New York has sent to the three-time Cy Young Award winner.
"Heard the #Mets offer to Scherzer is in the 3-yr, $129M range -- or about $43M on average per season," Sherman tweeted.
It's worth noting the Mets' reported offer is for a three-year pact and not four. MLB.com's Mark Feinsand on Sunday night suggested a fourth year could be what pushes a Scherzer-New York agreement over the goal line.
Should the Mets and Scherzer finalize the aforementioned deal, the eight-time All-Star would enter the 2022 season as the highest-paid player in the big leagues (barring new, more expensive deals later this offseason). Los Angeles Angels superstar Mike Trout currently owns that title with a 2022 salary of roughly $37.1 million. Mets ace Jacob deGrom and Yankees stud Gerrit Cole currently are set to be the highest-earning pitchers next season with $36 million salaries.
Scherzer is expected to make his decision before Wednesday, as a Major League Baseball lockout all but surely will begin Dec. 1.
