WATERCOOLER WEDNESDAY

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Today, another opportunity for readers to discuss the hottest topics in a forum where thoughtful dialog and a variety of opinions are welcomed.

Let’s create some running conversational threads.  And for those of you back in actual offices, here’s a question to take with you – or use via Zoom – as you talk to your co-workers.

Here is today’s topic……..

Justin Verlander will be joining his former teammate, Max Scherzer, in NY as the 1-2 punch of the starting rotation.  Both will be making identical salaries this year of $43+ million each.

Max will be 39 this year.  JV will be 40.  Both on a team in which the owner is determined to be hoisting a trophy in October and has spent over $376 million in trying to do so.  That payroll doesn’t even include Carlos Correa’s salary should he join them.  Overall, the Mets will be paying in excess of $500 mill in salary when the luxury tax is included.

Both JV and Max are stars with numerous awards among them.  But is it a wise decision to have your 2 top pitchers aged 39 and 40?

What are the chances they are more likely to get injured or run out of steam during a long season?

And if they do make it through, will they be able to compete in the post-season?  And if that happens, will they pitch at their best?

The signing of them was initiated by the owner, not the GM.

Do you think it’s a good idea to have your top 2 pitchers sitting at ages that are considered to be very advanced for professional athletes?

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21 thoughts on “WATERCOOLER WEDNESDAY”

  1. It might not be a wise move to have a 39 y.o. and a 40 y.o. in your rotation, but it probably is a wise move to have JV and Max Scherzer in your rotation. Also, Steve Cohen probably has a back up plan – if he needs to replace one of his starters, he could always trade for any other team’s ace for cash considerations.

    Liked by 4 people

    • Brooks: You’ve nailed it. Cohen is apparently in to win it all in 2023 by buying whatever he needs and since it appears he has the money to do it, he might. If someone doesn’t work out, he will spend more in July. Hopefully, he will need someone the Tigers have, and we can “steal” some good youngsters from him.

      Liked by 1 person

  2. Voted “yes” but not because they’re “stars”. I simply believe they’re fit enough to do the job expected of them with the backing of the owner and his money. And while it’s rare for someone their age to continue to compete and perform at such a high level, I remember a guy named Nolan Ryan.

    Liked by 3 people

    • Yup, good ole Nolan, a .500 pitcher for more than 2 decades and seldom the best pitcher even on his own team.

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      • I believe Nolan’s curse was not playing for the best teams, Doug. It’s hard to ignore his 3.19 career ERA over 27 years. And at 44 years old he had a lousy 8-16 W/L record with Houston but his ERA was 2.76 with a 1.006 WHIP.

        Liked by 4 people

    • And Randy Johnson pitched until age 46. He threw a Perfect Game at age 40 and had 13 K’s! Only Jamie Moyer was older at the time. Moyer pitched regularly at age 47, and finished his career 2 years later.

      Liked by 3 people

  3. Father time always wins out. Scherzer and Verlander are at or close to their twilight of their careers. To have them both as 1 and 2 is a gamble at best. Cohen has everything riding this year on a half billion payroll. He has a heck of a chance to fall short.

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  4. As they say, you can never have too much pitching and the young guys these days also seem prone to arm injuries. Not to be facetious, but I bet Max and Justin throw more innings and finish stronger than Boyd and Lorenzen.

    Liked by 3 people

  6. You can point out several times since the ’70’s when teams like Yankees had tommy John and others pushing the last effective year or two of their hall of Fame careers. Eras when several aged greats cheated one more out of father time. The Mets just brought them together under one big New York tent.

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  7. Is Verlander/Scherzer much different than Mize/Skubal? Age and experience over youth and inexperience. It’s a risk assessment that management makes.

    Liked by 1 person

  8. For most teams you would say, this is nuts for one season let alone what it does down the road. But Cohen’s model of sustainability is the attitude of “Hey, I am a billionaire fan, and I will can burn through millions to have fun.” He can snap up spare pitchers mid-season if he blows out tires on the Mets’ drive through the season.

    Liked by 1 person

  10. I agree with Brooks, as these are not your typical 39 and 40 year Olds. That said, Max worries more than JV. He will pitch through this and another contract.

    Liked by 1 person

  12. JV has a short term contract, so I don’t have a problem with it considering how well he pitched. Mad Max is still a top line ace. The problem with him is that it seems he tires at the end of the season and needs to be on a short leash come playoff time. But yes, I think through 2023, and probably 2024, the Mets are fine with these two guys.

    Liked by 3 people

  13. I voted yes even though I do not think the Mets will get an equal return from them. My gut is that they will help the Mets get to the playoffs and little more. Too many other issues AND they are both reaching a point where innings/starts will have to be monitored very closely.

    Liked by 1 person

    • “… the Mets get to the playoffs and little more”. I think that would be good for baseball. I certainly agree with acquiring FAs, but I think winning championships solely (or primarily) through outspending all others to purchase a “Dream Team” is not good for the game.

      Liked by 3 people

    • It’s not just durability – I also have a feeling of something intangible that’s missing in Max, something that keeps him from being admirable in the same way as JV. I simply don’t trust or respect his excellence the way I do Verlander’s. In the “who do you trust in a “must win” game” situation, l’ll take JV over Max every time.

      Liked by 3 people

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