While the Philadelphia Phillies have yet to get momentum off the starting block in the free-agency race, their divisional rivals are getting better.
On Monday, the Mets finalized a deal to acquire three-time Cy Young Award winner and future Hall of Famer Max Scherzer to a three-year, $130 million deal — setting an MLB record for highest average annual salary at $43.3 million.
The 37-year-old is still one of the best pitchers in all of baseball, which he proved during the second half of the 2021 season after he was traded from the Nationals to the Los Angeles Dodgers. In 11 starts with the NL West club, Scherzer went 7-0 with a 1.98 ERA and a WHIP of 0.820. It further padded an already impressive season that ended with a 15-4 record, 2.46 ERA, and an MLB-best 0.864 WHIP.
Now he joins Jacob deGrom in what could very well be the fiercest 1-2 punch of starting pitchers in Major League Baseball — the biggest move yet over a four-day stretch that saw New York also pick up Mark Canha, Eduardo Escobar and Starling Marte.
Scherzer has enjoyed plenty of success against the Phillies during his eight-year stint with the Washington Nationals. In 24 career starts against Philadelphia, he's 14-4 with a 2.50 ERA and a WHIP of 0.989.
The oddsmakers have certainly made a note of what the Mets have done over the weekend as their odds to win the 2022 World Series were cut in half from +2200 to +1100,, according to Oddschecker — leaving the Phillies in the dust as the third-favorite NL East team to win it all next year.
Updated 2022 World Series odds
Los Angeles Dodgers: +600
Houston Astros: +750
New York Yankees: +1000
Chicago White Sox: +1100
New York Mets: +1100
Atlanta Braves: +1200
Tampa Bay Rays: +1400
Toronto Blue Jays: +1400
San Diego Padres: +1700
Boston Red Sox: +1800
Milwaukee Brewers: +1800
San Francisco Giants: +2000
St. Louis Cardinals: +3000
Los Angeles Angels: +4000
Philadelphia Phillies: +4000
Detroit Tigers: +5000
Seattle Mariners: +5000
Cincinnati Reds: +6000
Oakland Athletics: +6000
Cleveland Guardians: +6600
Kansas City Royals: +7500
Minnesota Twins: +8000
Miami Marlins: +10000
Chicago Cubs: +15000
Texas Rangers: +15000
Washington Nationals: +15000
Colorado Rockies: +20000
Arizona Diamondbacks: +25000
Baltimore Orioles: +50000
Pittsburgh Pirates: +50000
