1661Billion Super Ace Comes ‘8 Wins-ERA 3.28’ Solid Korean Big Leaguer ‘Texas Starting Top 3’
Max Scherzer, 39, has been traded from the New York Mets to the Texas Rangers. What does that mean for Korean-American big leaguer Daein Dunning, 29?
The Mets recently waived Scherzer, sending him to Texas on Nov. 30 (ET). With Jacob deGrom out for the season after undergoing Tommy John surgery, Texas has made it clear that it wants to win the American League West and the World Series. Scherzer, who signed a $130 million contract, will naturally step into DeGrom’s role.
Scherzer’s arrival doesn’t change the position of Dunning, who is 8-4 with a 3.28 ERA. Dunning started the year in the bullpen as Texas acquired Digrom, Andrew Heaney, Nathan Eovaldi, and Jake Odorizzi, but with Odorizzi and Digrom out for the season, he’s fully settled into the starting rotation. Iboldi hasn’t pitched since April 19 against the Tampa Bay Rays with an elbow strain.
MLB.com writes, “Scherzer’s arrival in Texas addresses a major need for a team that has seen uneven performances from Martin Perez and Heaney this season. Iboldi missed his final start, sending another signal that a starting pitching trade was in order.”
“Assuming Iboldi returns healthy, Toronto will enter the postseason with a potential top-three starting rotation of Scherzer, Iboldi and Dunning as it attempts to win its first World Series title in franchise history,” MLB.com continued.
In many ways, Dunning’s position is solid. Dunning’s 3.28 ERA is the lowest on the team, behind only Iboldi’s 2.69. Dunning’s eight wins are also the most on the team behind Iboldi’s 11 (3). His 107 innings pitched 메이저놀이터 are the most on the team behind Iboldi (123.2), Jon Gray, and Perez (108.1). When Scherzer arrives, he’ll take over DeGrom’s role, but that doesn’t mean you can’t envision a Texas lineup without Dunning.
According to MLB.com, Texas will look to bolster the back end of the starting rotation and possibly the bullpen before the trade deadline on April 2. Kim mentions a possible trade for San Diego Padres closer Josh Hader. ds
Dunning is ripe for a postseason appearance. His last postseason appearance was a one-game start in 2020 with the Chicago White Sox.