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Max Scherzer Trade Rumors: 'No Chance' Nationals Deal Ace to Mets Regardless of Offer
July 27, 2021
As the Washington Nationals weigh if they should sell at Friday's trade deadline, one thing the front office reportedly won't consider is moving Max Scherzer to a key division rival.
Per SNY's Andy Martino, there is "no chance" the Nationals would deal the three-time Cy Young Award winner to the New York Mets regardless of the offer.
The Nationals haven't historically been sellers at the trade deadline, but 16 losses in their past 21 games have them 8.5 games behind the Mets in the NL East race and 11.5 games out of the second NL Wild Card spot.
The Mets' starting rotation has been decimated by injuries this season. Jacob deGrom, David Peterson and Joey Lucchesi are all on the injured list.
New York did acquire Rich Hill from the Tampa Bay Rays on Friday to give the rotation some depth for the stretch run.
Per Jesse Dougherty of the Washington Post, Scherzer is willing to waive his no-trade rights if the Nationals receive a trade proposal that intrigues them before Friday's 4 p.m. ET deadline.
There's no indication at this point that Washington will deal Scherzer, but teams have reportedly made overtures.
Per ESPN's Jeff Passan, the Tampa Bay Rays have had "preliminary discussions" about Scherzer and Chicago Cubs star Kris Bryant.
Passan did note the potential cost "in dollars, prospects or both" could be greater than the Rays want to pay for Scherzer, who will become a free agent this offseason.
Given the thin market for starting pitchers leading up to the deadline, Scherzer's value could be exceedingly high for a two-month rental. The 37-year-old has a long track record of dominance on the mound, including seven consecutive top-five finishes in Cy Young voting from 2013 to '19.
Scherzer has a 2.83 ERA with 142 strikeouts and 68 hits allowed in 105 innings over 18 starts in 2021.