Getty Image / Dustin Satloff
Although the New York Mets traded Justin Verlander to the Houston Astros right before the deadline, an anonymous Mets player is slamming the veteran pitcher.
From the sounds of it, Verlander and Max Scherzer couldn’t get along and the New York locker room supports Scherzer in this alleged beef.
According to Mike Puma of the New York Post, Verlander and Scherzer haven’t gotten along since their days together on the Detroit Tigers.
While playing on the Mets, an anonymous player claims that Justin Verlander “was a diva.” Additionally, Verlander is being accused of trashing the team’s analytics department, “which he deemed inferior to the one that served him in Houston.”
Here is the full statement from the anonymous Mets player.
“Verlander and Scherzer had a strained relationship as Tigers teammates, and a source said even as the pitchers worked toward harmony with the Mets, there was occasional discord. Verlander was a ‘diva,’ according to this Met, causing Scherzer to grouse about his fellow three-time Cy Young award winner. Verlander often complained about the Mets’ analytics department, which he deemed inferior to the one that served him in Houston.”
Maybe this is true, maybe it’s not. The statement is coming from an anonymous source, so we have to take it with a grain of salt.
Regardless, considering how dysfunctional the Mets have been this year, it wouldn’t be all that shocking if this was true.
Puma continues his report by claiming Justin Verlander wasn’t all that close with anyone in the Mets’ clubhouse. Meanwhile, Max Scherzer actually built a relationship with teammates.
“Verlander, who was traded back to the Astros on Aug. 1, was largely detached from teammates, according to the Met, and didn’t add to the team’s identity. On the other hand, Scherzer (who was traded to the Rangers on July 29) and Bassitt last season helped form the fabric of the clubhouse.”
With that said, New York is now on a semi-rebuilding path since trading away multiple players before the deadline.
The upcoming offseason will be crucial for the organization’s future.