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Max Scherzer, Mets close to finalizing multi-year deal, per report

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Free agent right-handed starter Max Scherzer is close to finalizing a deal with the New York Mets, reports Jon Morosi of MLB Network. Morosi says it’s a multi-year deal and multiple reports have the offer around $40 million per year. This comes just a few days after the Mets stocked up on the position-player side by landing center fielder Starling Marte and utility men Mark Cahna and Eduardo Escobar. 

Scherzer, 37, would be joining his fifth team in 15 years in the majors if he lands in Queens. He came up with the Diamondbacks, was traded to the Tigers, signed as a free agent with the Nationals and was traded to the Dodgers last season. In his career, he’s 190-97 with a 3.16 ERA (134 ERA+), 1.08 WHIP and 3,020 strikeouts in 2,536 2/3 innings. The eight-time All-Star has won three Cy Youngs. 

Last season, Scherzer finished third in NL Cy Young voting (his sixth top-three finish and eighth top-five finish) when he went 15-4 with a 2.46 ERA, 0.86 WHIP and 236 strikeouts against 36 walks in 179 1/3 innings. After the trade, the Dodgers went 11-0 in his starts while he had a 1.98 ERA. In the playoffs, he had a 2.16 ERA, though the Dodgers lost two of his four starts. 

Even at his age, the most likely path for Scherzer in 2022 is once again to pitch like an ace. 

That means that if the Mets pull this off and can get Jacob deGrom back to full health it’s at least possible they’ll have the two best pitchers in baseball in the same rotation. At the very least, they have a pair of aces atop the rotation. 

Though the Mets lost Noah Syndergaard to the Angels via free agency, Marcus Stroman is a current free agent and owner Steve Cohen was peeved they didn’t land lefty Steven Matz in an attempted reunion, they still could have a full rotation without adding anyone else, should the Scherzer deal become finalized. Behind deGrom and Scherzer there would be Carlos Carrasco, Taijuan Walker, Tylor Megill and David Peterson. Lefty Joey Lucchesi had Tommy John surgery late last June and could provide depth late in the season, too. 

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Mets pushing hard for Max Scherzer with decision expected soon

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The Max Scherzer sweepstakes is heating up, and the Mets are in the thick of it.

With the three-time Cy Young Award winner expected to make his free-agent decision by Monday, the Mets were pushing hard for Scherzer as of Sunday night and believed they had a shot at landing him, The Post’s Joel Sherman reported.

Max Scherzer
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Scherzer was expected to prefer sticking on the West Coast, with the Dodgers and Angels among the teams pursuing him. But the Mets and owner Steve Cohen could offer a longer contract and/or more money to lure him to New York.

The 37-year-old right-hander posted a 2.46 ERA across 179 innings (30 starts) last season, split between the Nationals and Dodgers. Scherzer would provide a formidable 1-2 punch with co-ace Jacob deGrom atop the Mets’ rotation if they are able to land him.

As the race for Scherzer intensified, a backup option for the Mets came off the board when Kevin Gausman agreed to a reported five-year, $110 million deal with the Blue Jays on Sunday night.



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Dodgers’ Max Scherzer won’t start in NLCS Game 6 vs. Braves

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ATLANTA — 

Max Scherzer was scheduled to speak to the media via Zoom soon after the Dodgers landed at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport on Friday night. News conferences are customary for starting pitchers the day before scheduled playoff outings and Scherzer has been slated to start Game 6 of the National League Championship Series against the Atlanta Braves on Saturday.

But Scherzer didn’t address reporters. The team touched down at around 8:15 p.m. EDT and canceled the session minutes later because Scherzer isn’t going to start Saturday after all, according to two people with knowledge of the situation.

Scherzer won’t make the start because of arm fatigue concerns, according to three people with knowledge of the situation. The Dodgers haven’t announced a starter a for the game.

Scherzer, 37, hasn’t pitched since Game 2 last Sunday when he threw 79 pitches over just 4 1/3 innings in a Dodgers loss. After the game, Scherzer said his “arm was dead.” Three days earlier, the right-hander threw 13 pitches to close out Game 5 of the National League Division Series against the San Francisco Giants. He has not undergone an MRI, a person with knowledge of the situation said.

“I could tell when I was warming up that it was still tired,” Scherzer said.

Despite Scherzer’s blunt assessment, the Dodgers maintained he would recover to start Saturday. Dodgers manager Dave Roberts reiterated the plan after the Dodgers’ Game 5 win Thursday, but acknowledged Scherzer’s stamina level was a mystery.

“I don’t know until we get there,” Roberts said. “I really don’t. He’s doing his work and preparing. Obviously, he’s been on the stage. …Whatever he can give us we’re going to have guys around him to help us win a ballgame.”

With Scherzer not set to start, the Dodgers, already without Clayton Kershaw for the postseason, the only other feasible option, could have Walker Buehler starting on short rest for the second time in the postseason. Julio Urías, the team’s No. 3 starter, pitched five innings in Game 4 on Wednesday.

Buehler held the Giants to one run across 4 1/3 innings in Game 4 of the NLDS on Oct. 12. In Game 3 of the NLCS on Tuesday, he recorded the worst outing of his already sterling postseason career, yielding four runs across 3 2/3 innings on six days’ rest.

The other option is another bullpen game with Tony Gonsolin or David Price assuming the bulk of the innings after using seven other relievers to stay alive in Game 5. Gonsolin didn’t pitch Thursday after logging two innings in Game 4 on Wednesday. Price was added to the roster Friday to replace the injured Joe Kelly. The veteran left-hander hasn’t pitched since the Dodgers’ penultimate regular season game Oct. 2.

The Dodgers acquired Scherzer, a free agent this winter, from the Washington Nationals at the July 30 trade deadline to bolster the starting rotation with another frontline talent for another World Series pursuit knowing Trevor Bauer wasn’t going to return from paid administrative leave this season. His playoff returns have been mixed so far.

Scherzer started two playoff games before recording his first career save in his relief appearance in San Francisco on Oct. 14. In the first postseason outing, he threw 94 pitches in just 4 1/3 innings in the wild-card game against the St. Louis Cardinals. Five days later, he was dominant against the Giants, surrendering one run on three hits with 10 strikeouts across seven innings in the Dodgers’ 1-0 Game 3 loss.

Three days after that, Scherzer was used in relief on two days’ rest for the second time in his postseason career. In the first instance, pitching for the Nationals in Game 5 of the 2017 NLDS against the Chicago Cubs, he gave up four runs in one inning in a loss. Two years later, he tossed a scoreless inning for the Nationals against the Dodgers in Game 2 of the 2019 NLDS. He then limited the Dodgers to one run over seven innings in Game 4 three days later.

He didn’t bounce back nearly as smoothly in Game 2 against the Braves last Sunday.

“I’ve been in this situation before,” Scherzer said. “You don’t want to always go out there and pitch full strength. Usually in those situations, once you get past pitch 45 sometimes, it kind of loosens up and you’re able to get deeper into a game. But after that third inning, it didn’t loosen up. It was still more tightening up. So, I could tell that my pitch count was going to be limited.”

His pitch count Saturday will be zero, leaving the Dodgers another obstacle to overcome as they face elimination.



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Max Scherzer, Cody Bellinger, and Justin Turner on their wild-card win over the Cardinals – Los Angeles Times

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  1. Max Scherzer, Cody Bellinger, and Justin Turner on their wild-card win over the Cardinals Los Angeles Times
  2. 2021 MLB playoffs: Most epic NLDS matchup ever? Answering the big questions about Giants-Dodgers ESPN
  3. Giants fans are already nervous about umpire assignments for NLDS matchup vs. Dodgers or Cardinals SF Gate
  4. Arenado: ‘We have an opportunity here, and hopefully we take advantage’ Bally Sports Midwest
  5. 2021 MLB playoffs – How the St. Louis Cardinals went from 1.3% postseason odds to playing the defending champs tonight ESPN
  6. View Full Coverage on Google News

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Los Angeles Dodgers’ Max Scherzer pitches immaculate inning, reaches 3,000-K milestone

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LOS ANGELES — Max Scherzer of the Los Angeles Dodgers has become the 19th player in major league history with 3,000 strikeouts.

The right-hander fanned Eric Hosmer of the San Diego Padres in the fifth inning Sunday at Dodger Stadium.

The crowd gave the three-time Cy Young Award winner a standing ovation, and Scherzer doffed his cap. He threw the keepsake ball into the dugout. Hosmer went down on six pitches, retired on a swinging strike.

Scherzer, 37, also has a perfect game through seven innings in a start that has also included an immaculate inning. He has thrown two no-hitters in his 14-year career but never a perfect game.

Knowing Scherzer needed one more strikeout to reach the mark, fans got to their feet and cheered each time he had two strikes. Some held up cellphones to record the moment.

Scherzer came into the game needing six strikeouts to reach 3,000. He got Trent Grisham in the first. He struck out the side on nine pitches in the second, retiring Fernando Tatis Jr., Hosmer and Tommy Pham, who all went down swinging.

In the third, Scherzer struck out Wil Myers on five pitches.

Scherzer is 13 strikeouts from catching Houston’s Justin Verlander for the most among active players. Verlander — a teammate of Scherzer’s in Detroit — is missing the entire 2021 season following Tommy John surgery.

Scherzer is 13-4, and his 2.28 ERA is second in the National League. He was acquired from the Washington Nationals in July and has put himself in contention for a fourth Cy Young down the stretch for the Dodgers.

He is on a nine-game winning streak and hasn’t lost since May 30 against Milwaukee. He is 9-0 in his past 15 starts since June 4, going 9-0 with a 2.23 ERA. Four of those wins have come with the Dodgers.

Scherzer was drafted by Arizona in 2006 out of Missouri. He has pitched for the Diamondbacks, Detroit and Washington, and is 188-97 with a 3.15 ERA in his career.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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Max Scherzer continues his dominant run as a Dodger (not a Padre) – Dodgers Digest

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The Dodgers have now bounced back from their losing streak with a sweep of the Padres, completed tonight in a 4-0 win. They have now won 16 of their last 18.

After last night’s marathon, the Dodgers could’ve used a quality start, and Max Scherzer provided exactly that. He dominated the Padres and the bats did enough to make it a comfortable win.

——

Max Scherzer has yet to have a blip as a Dodger and he certainly didn’t start tonight against the Padres. They needed him to be effective and efficient and he provided both.

He gave up just a double in the first four frames, otherwise dominating with eight strikeouts in that spam. He faced trouble in the 5th after giving up a double to start and then hitting a batter, but he rebounded with yet another strikeout and then a Justin Turner to Trea Turner combo turned a nice double play to get Max out of it.

Scherzer allowed just a walk in the final eight outs, and he was just brilliant, allowing just four baserunners on the night: 7.2 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 1 BB (1 HBP), 10 K, 104 Pitches.

——

Old friend Yu Darvish came off the IL to start against the Dodgers and was perfect through an impressive two frames. However, the 3rd was a surprising mess for him. He got ahead of Billy McKinney before walking him and then Austin Barnes of all people took a hanging cutter and blasted it over the wall in left-center field to make it 2-0.

With one down, Trea Turner and Corey Seager traded doubles to plate another run and make it 3-0.

The scoring continued in the 4th as well, because AJ Pollock lined a ball to center and Trent Grisham couldn’t make a diving play and the ball rolled to the wall for a triple. Cody Bellinger cashed it in with a sacrifice fly and it was 4-0.

——

Taking over for Darvish in the 6th, Craig Stammen got two scoreless and Shaun Anderson finished the Dodgers off in the 9th, though not without AJ Pollock being robbed of a homer by Trent Grisham.

Thankfully, it didn’t matter, as Shane Greene got the final out of the 8th for Max, and Joe Kelly finished the game off in the 9th, giving up just an infield single.

——

The Dodgers improve to 81-47 on the year, but again didn’t gain a game on the Giants as they swept the Mets. 2.5 games back in the NL West.

A pen game (or something) beckons tomorrow for the Dodgers as they return home to face the Rockies at 4:10 PM HT/7:10 PM PT/10:10 PM ET. They will start Kyle Freeland (4.25 ERA/4.36 FIP/3.97 xERA).



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Starting pitcher Max Scherzer wins his debut with Los Angeles Dodgers, strikes out 10 Houston Astros

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LOS ANGELES — The cheers kept getting louder, more exuberant, more prolonged. And so Clayton Kershaw turned to Max Scherzer and told him what had quickly become obvious.

“Give ’em what they want.”

Throughout his 14-year major league career — a career that includes three Cy Young Awards, two no-hitters and one World Series championship — Scherzer had never received a curtain call. Not one he could remember, at least. But he got one on Wednesday night, in his Los Angeles Dodgers debut, after limiting the formidable and abhorred Houston Astros to two runs over seven sterling innings in a 7-5 victory.

At the behest of Kershaw, another three-time Cy Young Award winner, Scherzer spilled out of the third-base dugout, tapped the front of his new cap and saluted a sold-out crowd of 52,274 with an extended right arm, a fitting apex to a superlative first impression.

“You live for this,” Scherzer said. “You live to pitch in front of 50,000 people going nuts.”

Scherzer scattered five hits, walked one batter and accumulated 10 strikeouts — three of which came against Jose Altuve, delighting what registered as the largest crowd to watch a 2021 baseball game for the second straight night.

The 37-year-old right-hander threw his fastball an average of 95.2 mph, a full tick faster than his previous high this season. The adrenaline coaxed from a raucous atmosphere certainly helped spark that, but Scherzer also attributed the increase to fully recovering from the triceps injury that prompted him to skip a start leading up to the trade deadline.

Scherzer generated 10 swings and misses with that fastball, but it was an effective curveball, he said, that opened everything up.

“From the moment I got to the ballpark, we got to the ballpark, you could just see that elevation, anticipation from our guys,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said. “The buzz in the crowd from the first pitch, him taking the mound, donning the Dodger [home uniforms] for the first time — he delivered. He delivered. Just the intensity. It was so much fun. And it was just really cool to see the crowd smell it and want him to finish that seventh inning.”

Scherzer returned to the dugout in the middle of the sixth inning after having thrown 89 pitches, but Roberts offered up only encouragement at that point. Scherzer had retired 17 of 20 batters since giving up a first-inning home run to Michael Brantley and Roberts didn’t necessarily think twice about letting Scherzer come back out for the seventh, even though the Dodgers will heavily rely on him over these next couple months.

Scherzer began the seventh with a leadoff walk to Kyle Tucker, who later cut the Astros’ deficit in half with a ninth-inning two-run homer off Kenley Jansen. But Scherzer made quick work of Robel Garcia and Jason Castro. On his 109th pitch, which matched his season high, Scherzer got pinch-hitter Chas McCormick, his last batter, to swing through a 96-mph fastball, completing seven innings for the seventh time this season and dropping his ERA to 2.75.

“With everything on the line, the way the crowd was — that was a high-adrenaline start, coming here,” Scherzer said. “Try not to do too much. Just pitch my game, go out there and do what I can do, and just try to navigate the lineup. The offense tonight went off.”

Scherzer benefited from two home runs by Mookie Betts and another from AJ Pollock, but it was his outing that spoke volumes about what he can contribute moving forward.

The Dodgers — 65-44 but still 3 1/2 games behind the first-place San Francisco Giants in the National League West — are suddenly in a bind with their starting pitching. Trevor Bauer is fighting sexual-assault charges that have seemingly left his season — and, thusly, his Dodgers career — in jeopardy. Kershaw is nursing forearm inflammation that has kept him out since early July and is not currently throwing. Neither is Tony Gonsolin, who is on the injured list with shoulder inflammation. And Danny Duffy, acquired from the Kansas City Royals last week, might not be available until September.

Those concerns were at the crux of the motivation behind sending an impressive package of prospects to the Washington Nationals in exchange for Scherzer and All-Star shortstop Trea Turner last week. The Dodgers’ desperate need for starting-pitching depth was illustrated earlier on Wednesday with the signing of four-time All-Star Cole Hamels, who has made only one start since the beginning of the 2020 season and is still in the process of building arm strength.

But Scherzer is the one the Dodgers will rely on in October.

“We need to get there first,” Roberts pointed out, “and he’s a very big part of that process.”

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Dodgers Making Significant Progress On Deal To Acquire Max Scherzer, Trea Turner

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7:50 pm: Scherzer is willing to waive his no-trade right to facilitate a deal to Los Angeles, reports Jesse Dougherty of the Washington Post (Twitter link).

7:44 pm: Dodgers starter Josiah Gray is believed to be part of discussions between the teams, reports Jon Heyman of MLB Network (Twitter link). Meanwhile, the Padres appear to be “moving on” from their hopes of landing Scherzer, according to Acee.

7:27 pm: Catching prospect Keibert Ruiz would be part of the Nationals’ return if the deal is completed, reports Rosenthal.

7:14 pm: The Dodgers are making significant progress on a deal to acquire stars Max Scherzer and Trea Turner from the Nationals, reports Jeff Passan of ESPN (Twitter link). Ken Rosenthal of the Athletic echoes Passan’s report but adds that “hurdles remain” in getting the deal across the finish line. Kevin Acee of the San Diego Union-Tribune suggests the Padres — reported to be on the verge of a Scherzer acquisition this afternoon — are now pessimistic about their chances of landing the three-time Cy Young award winner.

It’s a stunning development, one that would have massive repercussions in the National League playoff race. Scherzer and Turner are arguably the top two players on the trade market. The Dodgers acquiring both in a package deal — just a few hours after their division rivals had been expected to land Scherzer — would be a league-altering move if the deal is pushed across the finish line.

Scherzer is one of the best pitchers of his generation, and the future Hall of Famer has continued to pitch at a level close to peak form. He’s tossed 111 innings across nineteen starts, working to a 2.76 ERA/3.59 FIP. He’s given up a few home runs (1.46 HR/9), but Scherzer’s strikeout and walk numbers are still among the game’s best. The eight-time All-Star has punched out 34.3% of batters faced while handing out free passes to a meager 6.5% of opponents. Among starters with 50+ innings pitched, only Jacob deGrom, Tyler Glasnow, Patrick Sandoval and Shane Bieber have generated swinging strikes at a higher clip than Scherzer’s 16.5% mark.

It’s the continuation of what has been a remarkable tenure in Washington. Signed to a seven-year, $210MM deal over the 2014-15 offseason, the right-hander entered today’s outing with a 2.80 ERA/2.91 FIP across 1223 innings for the Nats. It proved to be one of the most successful free agent investments in recent memory. Scherzer won back-to-back NL Cy Young awards in 2016-17. He was selected to the All-Star game six times, with the lone exception due to the cancelation of last year’s festivities. And Scherzer was integral to the Nationals’ 2019 World Series title, tossing 30 frames of 2.40 ERA ball during that year’s postseason run.

Incredibly, Scherzer’s likely the second-most valuable part of the Dodgers’ potential haul. While he’s slated to hit free agency at the end of this season, Turner’s controllable next season via arbitration. The 28-year-old has been a quality player since breaking into the big leagues in 2015, but he’s developed into a true superstar over the past couple seasons. Since the start of the 2020 campaign, Turner’s hitting .327/.378/.546 (145 wRC+) with 30 home runs and 33 stolen bases across 155 games and 679 plate appearances.

Turner’s one of the top few players in the sport, even if he rather remarkably didn’t make an All-Star team until this season. In addition to that high-end offense, he’s one of the game’s most dangerous baserunners and a fine defensive shortstop. FanGraphs estimates Turner’s been worth seven wins above replacement over the past two years, a mark that trails only Fernando Tatís Jr. among position players.

A good portion of Turner’s overall value comes from his aforementioned ability to play shortstop. It’s not precisely clear whether he’d continue to do so in Los Angeles, though, where Corey Seager is also one of the game’s stars. Turner also has some experience manning second base and in center field, and the Dodgers have never been shy about moving players around the diamond defensively.

Seager is slated to hit free agency at the end of this season, where he’ll be one of the top options on the open market. The Dodgers could move Turner around the diamond for the remainder of this season and plug him as their regular shortstop come 2022 if Seager signs elsewhere. Regardless of their long-term vision, it’s unquestionable that adding Turner to the roster will be a massive boon to a position player that is already among the league’s best.

More to come.



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Padres trading for Max Scherzer, per report

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The San Diego Padres are close to a deal to acquire Max Scherzer from the Washington Nationals, The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal reports.

In a daunting NL West race with the Los Angeles Dodgers and San Francisco Giants — one that will likely land them in a one-game wild-card playoff — the Padres could turn to Scherzer to start that all-important game. 

The deal still hinges on Scherzer choosing to waive his no-trade protection and accept the move. After missing a start with a triceps issue, Scherzer demonstrated his health with 6 innings of one-run ball against the Phillies on Thursday.

The three-time Cy Young winner is a surefire Hall of Famer and one of the generation’s best pitchers. He gutted through back problems to help the Nationals win their first World Series in 2019, and will now jump back into a pennant race to complete one of the most fruitful free agent contracts in the history of baseball.

Yes, he turned 37 this week, but Scherzer still breathes fire. His fastball averages over 94 mph and he has MLB’s third-best strikeout rate among qualified pitchers. He’s running a 2.76 ERA.

The combination of Scherzer’s no-trade protection and Washington GM Mike Rizzo’s historical inclination against selling at the deadline had made a Scherzer deal seem extremely unlikely as recently as a week ago.

But in the past few days, more and more signs started pointing to Scherzer moving. His preference for a West Coast contender clearly signaled his eagerness to dive into the three-way tangle of NL West titans.

Max Scherzer, a top trade deadline target, is reportedly heading to the San Diego Padres. (Photo by Mitchell Layton/Getty Images)

Padres make big splash in NL West arms race

Padres GM A.J. Preller has earned a reputation as baseball’s most aggressive deadline dealer, and as San Diego sits in third place — but in control of the second NL wild-card spot — he again appears dedicated to making the biggest splash. Boasting an offense full of exciting stars including Fernando Tatis Jr. and Manny Machado, the Padres’ offseason pitching revamp hasn’t brought them even with the Dodgers or the Giants.

Yu Darvish sports a strong 3.27 ERA, but has struggled mightily in July. Fellow winter acquisition Blake Snell is having the worst year of his career, as evidenced by a career-worst walk rate and 5.44 ERA.

The dynamics of the NL West race only made the chase for an ace more pressing for the Padres. Sitting 5.5 games back of the Giants entering Thursday, FanGraphs gives them only an 11.4% chance of storming back to win the division — and at BetMGM their division odds are up to +450. That means the October run many envisioned for the up-and-coming team would have to go through a one-game playoff, likely against another NL West rival. The Dodgers could throw Clayton Kershaw or Walker Buehler in that game, where the Giants would likely trot out Kevin Gausman and his 2.21 ERA.

In addition to securing Scherzer for themselves, the Padres ensure they don’t see Mad Max toeing the mound against them in that game. Scherzer has a 3.38 ERA in 112 postseason innings. His last October performance was a defining one, as he gutted through debilitating back spasms to pitch five innings of two-run ball as the Nationals won Game 7 of the 2019 World Series.

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Max Scherzer Reportedly Open To Waiving No-Trade Rights

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Nationals ace Max Scherzer has been one of the most intriguing trade candidates in baseball as the Nationals have slid down the standings following a scorching month of June, but a trade surrounding him is also complicated for myriad reasons. He’s being paid $35MM in 2021 and has more than $100MM in deferred money still owed to him from 2022-28. The Nationals, historically, do not operate as sellers under general manager Mike Rizzo. Scherzer has full no-trade protection as a 10-and-5 player (10 years of MLB service, the past five with the same team). Additionally, agent Scott Boras has previously suggested that Scherzer would require some type of incentive (e.g. a contract extension) in order to waive those rights.

It would seem that at least one of those major hurdles, however, is surmountable. Jesse Dougherty of the Washington Post reports (via Twitter) that Scherzer is open to being traded and would not invoke his 10-and-5 rights for the sole purpose of remaining with the Nationals. However, Scherzer could use that full no-trade protection as a way to have a say in his ultimate destination if the Nats are presented with offers from multiple clubs.

It’s not yet clear whether the Nationals are going to legitimately make Scherzer available, although a weekend sweep at the hands of a 34-64 Orioles club couldn’t have helped convince Rizzo and his staff that the Nats need to operate as a buyer. Rizzo said just under a week ago that he was approaching the deadline with a both a “buy” and “sell” mindset, remaining open to all possibilities depending on how his team played. The implication was that with a strong showing, the Nats would act as they tend to do under Rizzo: make at least incremental upgrades in an effort to push toward the postseason.

That hasn’t happened, however. The Nats are 1-4 since those comments from Rizzo, including the sweep in Baltimore, and the fact that the Nationals had to slow Stephen Strasburg’s throwing program down once again only adds another negative element to the equation. Washington now finds itself eight games below .500, seven and a half back of the division lead and 11 out in the Wild Card hunt. The generally feeble nature of the NL East and the top-heavy trio of contenders in the NL West mean that the only path for an NL East club to reach the postseason is likely via a division title. FanGraphs gives the Nats a 1.4 percent chance of making the playoffs; PECOTA is only marginally better, at an even 2.0 percent.

If the Nats do indeed make Scherzer available, he’d (obviously) be the best starting pitcher on a market that is lacking in impact arms. The three-time Cy Young winner and eight-time All-Star, who turns 37 tomorrow, has pitched to a 2.83 ERA with a brilliant 35.1 percent strikeout rate and a 6.1 percent walk rate in 105 innings this season. He’s had one astonishing meltdown that the Padres and Daniel Camarena will never forget, wherein Scherzer allowed 12 percent of the runs he’s yielded all season on one pitch to a just-called-up relief pitcher. Outside of that night, Scherzer has allowed 26 runs in 101 1/3 innings of work (2.31 ERA). He’s held opponents to two or fewer runs in 14 of his 18 starts.

It’s also worth noting that Scherzer had his Saturday start against the Orioles scratched due to discomfort in his right triceps. The injury popped up when he was taking batting practice, not pitching and Scherzer has already said publicly that he plans to make his next start. He underwent an MRI that came back clean, and (via MASNsports.com’s Mark Zuckerman), manager Dave Martinez said Scherzer’s bullpen session today went as planned. Assuming he feels fine tomorrow, he’d be in line to start Thursday’s game for the Nationals — their final game prior to Friday afternoon’s trade deadline.



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