The question is simple, but complex at the same time. Who between Max Scherzer and Justin Verlander will have the biggest impact with their new roster?
The two star pitchers, with a somewhat similar profile, were traded by the Mets around the trade deadline. Both for a Texas club, for a team in the same division, moreover, the American West. Imagine for a moment if the two former teammates were to meet in the playoffs this spring, how exciting it would be for the fans! And for that, we will have to thank the Mets, who pay a very large part of the salary of each player, hihi!
Let’s analyze each player’s situation together.
Max Scherzer
Give honour where honour is due. Let’s go with the one who was traded first, Max Scherzer. Unlike his former teammate, Scherzer finds himself in a totally unfamiliar environment with Rangers. He will undeniably have a great impact with his people, because, without taking anything away from the other pitchers in the rotation, even less from Nathan Eovaldi who is having an excellent campaign, Mad Max becomes THE organization’s trusted pitcher. The person to turn to to weather the storms, calm things down. The old sage, what.
To take things further, he joins a club that hasn’t had a pitcher with his playoff skills for a very long time, probably since Nolan Ryan. Who knows what Jacob deGrom might have done had he stayed healthy, but that’s another story!
Let’s be honest, no one was expecting the Rangers in the playoffs this season. Bruce Bochy knew how to bring, in a very short time, a winning culture and get the most out of his flock. A manager who has seen others can trust his new prodigy 100%, he who, like him, has seen others. This is exactly the kind of acquisition that suits the manager’s style.
Justin Verlander
As for Verlander and the Astros, it’s a homecoming for him. Acquired from the Tigers in 2017, he will have won two World Series titles and two Cy Young trophies with the Texas team during his stint of just over five years with the club. Just that!
He will have a huge impact with his “new formation”, because he knows the inner workings of the club. He’s comfortable with the work environment, comfortable with good old Dusty Baker as manager in the dugout and, most importantly, his teammates. There’s even a chance that he and his wife Kate Upton will stay in the same house they’ve owned since 2017, because despite his contract with the Mets, their Houston home never came up for sale. There is a saying that stability is a guarantee of success in the world of sport. This applies wonderfully with the Astros and Verlander.
He will have the ball in his team’s first playoff game, even though Flamber Valdez is having a stellar season.
Who to choose, then?
As I am the author of this text, I have to choose. I choose Max Scherzer! I believe that joining a “worse team” (the Astros are still the defending champions, after all), will make his impact more pronounced. There are fewer stars in the Rangers, which will make Scherzer shine, something that suits him well.
And you, dear readers, who do you choose and why?
- Jordan Romano is getting better.
- Trevor Story back tomorrow. Chris Sale could launch Friday, him.
- The two men like each other more and more.
