Justin Verlander ‘had a DIVA attitude at New York Mets and clashed with Max Scherzer and other teammates’ before pitchers were both traded
- Scherzer and Verlander were both traded away from the Mets at deadline
- The New York team ERA exploded from 3.57 to 4.38 in a disappointing season
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Former Mets ace Justin Verlander reportedly rubbed several teammates the wrong way with his “diva” attitude in New York, most notably fellow superstar pitcher and former Detroit Tigers teammate Max Scherzer.
The two veteran pitchers who are both Hall of Fame nominees once they finally hang up their shoes had tried to work together in “harmony” after not being on good terms during their time in Detroit, but there were still bumps in the road. the relation, according to the New York Post.
That’s what an unnamed Mets source apparently told me the mail that Verlander was “loose” from his teammates in New York and would complain that the analytics department was not on the same level as the one he worked with in Houston.
The “diva” attitude Verlander allegedly displayed led Scherzer to complain to others in the locker room about his co-superstar.
Verlander has since been traded to the Houston Astros, who he left on free duty this offseason to sign with the Mets, while Scherzer was dealt to the Texas Rangers.
Ex-Met Max Scherzer was one of many New York players who had a problem with Justin Verlander
Verlander was said to display a “diva” attitude that rubbed Scherzer and others in NY wrong
Verlander has since been traded to the Houston Astros and Scherzer to the Texas Rangers
Regardless of the high school-style drama played out in the Mets locker room before the decision to cash in on assets like Scherzer and Verlander in an effort to massively accelerate the rebuilding of the farm system, New York’s pitching staff underperformed this season drastically below expectations.
New York’s roster came into the season with a record-breaking payroll and was highly anticipated to be a contender for the World Series – only to end up as arguably the sport’s biggest failure this year.
Last season, the Mets finished the year with a team ERA of 3.57, which was good enough for seventh place in the MLB.
This year the New York team ERA has exploded to 4.38, which is a lot closer to the bottom of the league than the top, to say the least.
After their trade from New York, both Verlander and Scherzer echoed similar feelings of disappointment with how the Queens season turned out.
It became clear which way the team would go and what the best decisions were for everyone involved. … You signed up there to win and you really thought we’d have a shot there,” Scherzer told Foul Territory. “Of course we didn’t and that’s what stinks.”
“It was just an unhappy season where things didn’t go according to plan,” Verlander said after the trade. “I have nothing but the utmost respect for their organization and how they treat players.”