NEW YORK -- After trading Max Scherzer to the Texas Rangers, general manager Billy Eppler insisted the New York Mets are not tearing down their underachieving team.
"I do want to be clear that it's not a rebuild. It's not a fire sale," Eppler said Sunday at Citi Field. "It's not a liquidation."
So maybe Justin Verlander will stay put in the end.
New York traded Scherzer to AL West-leading Texas for minor league infielder Luisangel Acuna in a high-profile deal both teams announced Sunday after news of the agreement broke Saturday evening.