Would Red Sox be a possible landing spot for Max Scherzer if Nationals decide to sell?
In a National League East where no team has emerged as the clear front-runner, it would be a mistake to altogether rule out the Washington Nationals on May 17. However, if you had to make an assessment today, you'd guess that the Nationals are too top-heavy of a team to buy at the trade deadline.
Make no mistake, there are some pieces on the Nationals that remind you how they won a World Series title two years ago.
Even though Juan Soto has been somewhat underwhelming by his standards, he and Trea Turner are still one of the best duos in Major League Baseball. Heck, Josh Harrison is having something of a career resurgence, although that's probably cancelled out by the fact that both Josh Bell and Kyle Schwarber - two offseason additions - have underwhelmed to this point.
Meanwhile, former World Series MVP Stephen Strasburg has made just two starts in 2021, a year after totaling just five innings. Former All-Star Patrick Corbin impressed in his start last Thursday, but has struggled for the most part this year, with a 6.19 ERA in seven starts in 2021.
It's safe to say that the rest of the league is circling around the Nationals, who have a slew of interesting trade candidates - Harrison, Brad Hand, Ryan Zimmerman, Jon Lester - if they choose to sell. At the forefront of that discussion, though, is arguably the most dominant player in franchise history, Max Scherzer.
A three-time Cy Young Award winner, Scherzer is in the final season of a seven-year/$210 million deal that's aged about as well as you could possible ask for. He's perhaps no longer at the height of his powers, but Scherzer's 2.10 ERA and 3.08 FIP in eight starts suggest he is still among the game's best arms.
"A source close to Scherzer" suggested to MLB.com's Mark Feinsand in April that the seven-time All-Star may be willing to consider a trade if the right contending situation presents itself this summer. Scherzer will have to sign off on any deal this July, given that his 10-and-5 rights give him a full no-trade clause.
It would be a difficult decision for the Nationals, as Scherzer is arguably the most accomplished player that the team has had since moving from Montreal prior to the 2005 season. For that reason, we're going to guess they'd rather not trade him to a division-rival, such as the Atlanta Braves. Still, here are five potential landing spots for Scherzer, should Mike Rizzo and company ultimately decide to trade him:
