After a disappointing end to 2022, and a huge re-imagining of the starting rotation, Max Scherzer started 2023 with the same role as 2022: one of two aces in a star-studded New York Mets rotation. His partner ace changed—Justin Verlander—as did the other starting pitchers on the team, but he looked to lead the Mets to the playoffs yet again, and go further than they had the year before.
However, his season took many twists and turns. An up and down few months, a suspension, and finally a trade spelled the end of his tenure with the Mets halfway through the contract he signed as the lockout loomed at the end of 2021.