Mets brace for future without ace Max Scherzer

The Mets’ blockbuster trade of Max Scherzer to the Texas Rangers left much more than a void atop the team’s rotation.

Saturday night’s deal also presents new challenges for the players within the Mets’ clubhouse, manager Buck Showalter acknowledged Sunday, even though he continues to say no trade has been completed.

“It’s a challenge for them and us,” Showalter said before Sunday’s game against the Washington Nationals. “I talk to them every day whether someone’s been traded or not. Sometimes it’s just sitting down in the food room. Sometimes it’s just sitting down in the locker room before the doors open. I’ve got a feel for it. There’s a lot of things that they kind of let me in on, what they’re feeling and thinking that’s certainly not public.”

Showalter’s comments came the morning after Mets stars Pete Alonso and Brandon Nimmo expressed shock over the trade.

Scherzer, 39, is in the second season of a three-year, $130 million contract he signed with the Mets before the 2022 campaign. Sending the three-time Cy Young Award winner to Texas established the disappointing Mets as full-blown sellers ahead of Tuesday’s trade deadline.

“Honestly, shocked,” Alonso said after Saturday’s game. “Max wasn’t around the clubhouse and I didn’t really see him around today, so that’s when I knew it was like, ‘Oh man, this is legit. This isn’t just, like, clickbait.’ … It’s a loss for us for sure.”

[ Mets follow up Max Scherzer trade with ugly loss to Nationals ]

Scherzer has a 4.01 ERA this season, his worst mark in over a decade. The 23 home runs he’s surrendered are the fifth-most among MLB pitchers. The Rangers hope the right-hander can return to form with pitching coach Mike Maddux, who held the same role during Scherzer’s Cy Young seasons with Washington in 2016 and 2017, and bolster a rotation that lost ace Jacob deGrom to elbow surgery.

The trade came two days after the Mets — who remain outside the playoff picture despite the highest payroll in MLB history — sent closer David Robertson to the Marlins.

“We kind of knew that anything could be on the table now,” Nimmo said after Saturday’s game. “We weren’t sure how far this might go but knew these were possibilities. I would say ‘shocked’ is definitely the right word.”

Candidates to fill Scherzer’s spot in the rotation include Tylor Megill, who allowed two runs in six innings Saturday with Triple-A Syracuse, and David Peterson, who has a 6.12 ERA for the Mets but has found success this month pitching in relief.

“We know we’re gonna need someone if Max leaves,” Showalter said Sunday. “We talked about it. I think you can probably figure out the candidates.”

Mets reliever Edwin Diaz continues to progress from the torn patellar tendon he suffered during March’s World Baseball Classic, but he’s not ready to return to a mound, Showalter said Sunday in his latest update.

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Diaz hasn’t ruled out returning this season, but tests on his injured left knee indicate it still isn’t as strong as his healthy knee, according to the Mets manager.

“He’s right where he needs to be, meeting all the benchmarks,” Showalter said. “Nothing’s changed about how we’re looking at it.”

Diaz threw in the outfield last week. The 29-year-old signed a 5-year, $102 million deal with the Mets in the offseason after posting a 1.31 ERA and 32 saves as the team’s closer last year.

Starling Marte is also making strides toward returning from the migraine headaches that have kept him out since July 16.

The speedy outfielder feels “a lot better” after getting a second medical opinion on the medical issue, Showalter said Saturday.

“I think he feels a lot more confident about having his arms around what he’s dealing with,” Showalter added Sunday. “He’s gonna go on the trip with us. Yesterday, we weren’t sure if that was gonna happen. … He’s planning on going to Kansas City and continuing his work to get back into baseball-playing mode.”

Marte, 34, has batted .254 with five home runs in 84 games this season, his second with the Mets.