ATLANTA — Combined, Max Scherzer and Francisco Lindor take up nearly half a billion dollars on the Mets’ balance sheet. Scherzer is the highest-paid player per annum in Major League history. Lindor owns the largest contract ever for a shortstop.
The Mets’ commitments to both were examples of their new model under Steve Cohen, who upon buying the team in November 2020 proclaimed his hope of winning a World Series within “3-5 years.” Of course, the road to a Series currently goes through Atlanta, where the Braves are defending champions. So it was an encouraging sign for the Mets to see their two highest-paid imports star this week in a series victory over the Braves.
Lindor’s shot off Charlie Morton in the third inning gave the Mets an early four-run advantage, which proved to be plenty of backing for a stout Chris Bassitt. Eduardo Escobar and Mark Canha also homered for the Mets, who improved to 12-3 in the deciding games of a series.