Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic reports the New York Mets sent $36 million to the Texas Rangers when they traded pitcher Max Scherzer to the American League West leader. The Mets acquired possibly the next great shortstop, Luisangel Acuña in return.
Rosenthal reports that the Mets will actually save money by covering $36 million of Scherzer’s contract, which won’t expire until the end of the 2024 season.
He writes “the Mets will save about $9 million in salary and $8 million in luxury tax this season as they pay a 90 percent penalty for every dollar they spend over the highest threshold. Next season, with the roughly $16.5 million savings in Scherzer’s salary and the highest penalty rate rising to 110 percent, they would avoid more than $18 million in tax.”