Max Scherzer's continued commentary on Mets would've been distraction for Dodgers

The interview didn't sound as bad as the quotes disseminated on Twitter, but damn, man, does Max Scherzer ever give it up? He's been among the sole reasons the New York Mets failed to reach their potential the last two seasons and he's still throwing out commentary that's going to get clipped and make him look like the bad guy. Los Angeles Dodgers fans know this very well.

Scherzer appeared on "Foul Territory" Thursday and spoke on a number of topics, chief being his departure from the Mets and how it unexpectedly came to be.

Well, we should say ... "unexpected" maybe back in April? May? Certainly not June and July, as the Mets continued to crater and realized attempting to run this operation back in 2024 after a wildly disappointing 2023 wasn't the answer.

That led owner Steve Cohen to instruct Billy Eppler to work a re-tool, and fast. Scherzer was traded (a move, by the way, he approved!). Justin Verlander was traded. Tommy Pham was traded. David Robertson was traded. Mark Canha was traded. It was a sad state of affairs, but most baseball fans agreed it was probably the right move.

Scherzer reminiscing on better days while trying to make listeners feel bad for his two-year-old who doesn't understand the concept of a trade just doesn't seem to be the answer to any of this, however.

Dodgers were lucky to avoid Max Scherzer as his crusade against Mets continues

Just a quick reminder, too: Scherzer had final say on any trade. He didn't have to sign off on getting moved to the Rangers. But he did ... for the sake of being on a winner, it would seem. Yet he's upset with how the Mets' situation transpired? They clearly weren't winners. They were sliding and sliding and sliding further back in the Wild Card race.

Not only that, but Scherzer himself, as most Mets fans will tell you, played an influential role in the team's downfall. He made only 23 starts last season as he was hampered by a few injuries. Then, toward the tail end of the regular season with the NL East on the line, he got shelled by the Braves in a loss that ended up knocking the Mets into the Wild Card. Then, in the Wild Card series against the Padres, he gave up seven earned runs on seven hits (FOUR home runs), which put New York on the ropes in a crucial Game 1 at Citi Field.

Fast forward to 2023 and he got suspended for 10 games for sticky stuff and logged a 4.01 ERA, 4.71 FIP and 1.19 WHIP in 19 starts before being traded. The Mets were 12-7 in games he pitched.

He's since gotten back on track with the Rangers, but his outings have been against two of the worst teams in the AL (White Sox and A's).

Nonetheless, Scherzer's PR tour after being traded isn't really being viewed through a positive lens, whether he means harm or not. The Dodgers attempted to trade for him at the deadline, but the Mets ended up preferring the Rangers' offer of Luisangel Acuña. At this rate, LA should consider itself lucky, because they didn't need this distraction as the team continues to pull away from the rest of the NL West.

They already got a dose of this when Scherzer spurned them for more money in New York. They certainly didn't need the negative press in the middle of a promising run.