Max Scherzer expressed his disappointment with the Mets’ season and his future with the club after Friday’s 5-1 win over the Nationals.

With the Mets 6.5 games behind the third wild card and 49-54 as of July 29, Billy Eppler and the front office traded David Robertson to the Marlins for two minor leaguers, leaving the Mets bullpen without a closer. As the Mets continue to listen to trade offers for their players, Scherzer spoke about his disappointment with the direction of the 2023 season, while holding himself and the other players accountable.

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“Disappointed, obviously. We put ourselves in this position. We haven’t played well as a team. I’ve had a hand in that for why we’re in the position that we’re at. Can’t get mad at anybody but yourself, but it stinks.”

Robertson had been a lifesaver for the Mets in 2023. After Edwin Díaz injured himself in the WBC, Robertson took over the closer role, saving 14 games in 17 attempts while pitching to a 2.04 ERA+. Without the closer, the Mets’ chances of making the playoffs became slimmer, which Scherzer addressed when asked about a potential playoff run in 2023.

“I’ve probably got to have a conversation with the front office. You traded our closer away. I’m sure a bunch of people are going to have to have conversations with the front office.”

While selling is disappointing for the players and fans, the Mets’ front office had to take an objective approach. According to FanGraphs, the Mets have a 16.4% chance of making the playoffs and are behind four teams for the last wild card spot. However, when talking to the media, Scherzer was upset the Mets didn’t communicate their position to him, and about the vagueness of the direction of the organization.

“I would imagine — you’ve got to understand what everybody’s going to do. This isn’t like the trade for me out of Washington. When I was in Washington, I was about to be a free agent. Our season was going south. I wanted to get traded to a playoff contender. That was the calculus for me with the Nationals. This time around. I’m not going to be a free agent. I have another year here. I came here, we did great things last year. We won 100 games last year. Unfortunately, this year it’s not. But with Steve and the rest of this organization, you can see a path forward. You can see a path to contend next year.”

If the Mets are going to contend next season, Scherzer will have to be a contributing factor, like he was in 2022 when he pitched to a 2.29 ERA. Unfortunately, Scherzer has been a major reason for the Mets’ struggles this season, and has pitched to a 4.01 ERA in 19 starts.

When he signed before the 2022 season, Scherzer stated Steve Cohen’s dedication towards winning was an enormous factor in coming to New York. Now, with the Mets selling off their rental players and their season hanging by a thread, Scherzer had some precarious comments about his future with the Mets.

“I’ve got to have a conversation with the front office… about everything. That’s the most I’m going to say. You have to talk to the brass. You have to understand what they see, what they’re going to do. That’s the best I can tell you. I told you I wasn’t going to comment on this until Steve was going to sell. We traded Robertson. Now we need to have a conversation. I haven’t had a conversation, and I will.”

While conversations have yet to be had, Scherzer’s future with the Mets is entirely in his own hands. The right-hander has a $43.3 million player option for the 2024 season which he could opt out of based on his conversations with Steve Cohen. However, from a money standpoint, it’s hard to see Scherzer opting out at the age of 39.