Max Scherzer And Justin Verlander Address Trade Deadline Speculation

The New York Mets are fading quickly from playoff possibilities, and Max Scherzer and Justin Verlander could be casualties of their disappointing season.

Once seen as potential favorites to win the NL East and potentially the World Series, the Mets have instead been baseball's cautionary tale.

While the rival Atlanta Braves have played exceptional baseball virtually the entire season, the Mets playoff odds have collapsed.

As of Friday afternoon, New York had just a 9.1% chance of getting a postseason berth this year.

While there are any number of problem areas to blame, speculation has grown recently that the team would sell some of its higher priced players to reduce payroll. Max Scherzer and Justin Verlander in particular.

READ: COULD THE METS REALLY TRADE MAX SCHERZER?

They both addressed the rumors recently, as the team continues to lose in increasingly frustrating fashion.

"I’ll comment when Steve says, 'sell,'" Scherzer responded after Thursday's 3-2 loss. "Until then, it’s pointless. He drives this, so it’s pointless to talk about anything in the contract. I’m here to show up to win. That’s all I’m here to do. I continue to believe that we’re gonna win."

Steve Cohen, the Mets owner, recently gave a press conference where he was non-committal about the possibility of selling. But seemed to downplay thoughts of adding talent.

FLUSHING, - APRIL 15: New York Mets owner Steve Cohen speaks to the crowd during the Tom Seaver Statue Dedication at Citi Field on Friday, April 15, 2022 in Flushing, NY. (Photo by Mary DeCicco/MLB Photos via Getty Images)

Verlander And Scherzer Both Seem Uncertain Of Future

Verlander also spoke recently, saying that he believes the Mets have the talent to be dangerous when they "click."

"Everyone has seen flashes of it and I keep saying if I was on the other side, we would be a team that every time we come here to play, I’d say, 'I hope this isn’t when they click,'" Verlander explained. "And as a playoff team, I wouldn’t want to face us."

But he also acknowledged that there's a lot of work to be done to get there.

"All that being said, it needs to click and we need to make it there," Verlander continued. "I believe in this team, but we need to prove it." 

Both he and Scherzer both seem to acknowledge that there's a chance the Mets sell at the deadline, without purposefully committing either way.

Rumors had suggested Scherzer would want to exercise his no-trade clause to bail the sinking New York ship. But Anthony DiComo, the MLB.com writer who broke those reports, has now walked it back a bit.

Scherzer has definitely declined this season compared to his past results. And he does have an option to exercise a $43 million salary for 2024, something he'd like do.

Those factors, and a similar contract for Verlander, make potential trades a bit more complicated.

There's still a month left for Cohen and his front office to decide if they want to sell. While fans might not be thrilled, the thought of clearing future payroll for a potential run at Shohei Ohtani after the year could be too tempting to pass up.

But as they fall further and further out of contention, it becomes increasingly likely their high priced free agent acquisitions are on the move yet again.