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UPDATE: It’s officially crazy pants season in MLB. The Dodgers might swoop in and do an even bigger deal for Scherzer and Trea Turner.
BREAKING: The Los Angeles Dodgers are making significant progress on a deal that would send them star right-hander Max Scherzer and star shortstop Trea Turner from the Washington Nationals for a prospect-laden return, sources tell ESPN.
— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) July 30, 2021
The Washington Nationals are close to a deal to send 3-time Cy Young winner Max Scherzer to the San Diego Padres, per The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal. Scherzer pitched in Game 1 of the Nationals’ doubleheader with the Philadelphia Phillies on Thursday despite trade rumors. He picked up his 8th win of the season, allowing just 1 run over 6 IP in the 3-1 victory.
If Scherzer does end up in San Diego and this trade is finalized, it’s unlikely he’ll pitch in the Padres rotation until at least early next week. This is a major play by the Padres, who are going all-in to try and win the World Series this season. Scherzer can become a free agent in 2022. Last week, the Padres acquired All-Star 2B Adam Frazier from the Pittsburgh Pirates. Frazier leads MLB in hits at 127 entering play Thursday. He’s 2-for-10 through two games with the Padres.
The addition of Scherzer could move Ryan Weathers out of the Padres’ rotation. It also could mean the Padres will go with a 6-man rotation to get everyone a bit of rest heading into the postseason. Weathers has acted more like a long-reliever/opener this season for the Pads. With the addition of Scherzer, San Diego may have the deepest pitching staff and bench rotation in all of baseball.
The Padres have already moved up to 7/1 to win the World Series since the news Scherzer is close to being acquired. San Diego is now +380 to win the National League pennant on DraftKings Sportsbook. Both lines seem pretty good considering they should move even more once DKSB takes the markets down. The NL West division winner odds have been taken down temporarily.
This move feels a lot like when the Houston Astros went out and traded for Justin Verlander back in 2017. Verlander had one Cy Young at the time and was struggling in Detroit before his career got shot with adrenaline after landing in Houston. Scherzer is having a fine season with a 2.47 ERA, 147 Ks and a 8-4 record, but that hadn’t helped the Nats compete in the NL East. Now, Scherzer will get a chance to try and win another title in San Diego.