Yankees: Would the Nationals Allow Max Scherzer to be Traded to NY?

WASHINGTON, DC - JUNE 19: Starting pitcher Max Scherzer #31 of the Washington Nationals pitches against the Philadelphia Phillies in game two of a double header at Nationals Park on June 19, 2019 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images)
WASHINGTON, DC - JUNE 19: Starting pitcher Max Scherzer #31 of the Washington Nationals pitches against the Philadelphia Phillies in game two of a double header at Nationals Park on June 19, 2019 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images)

One Yankees source said on Friday to SNY’s John Harper that GM Brian Cashman would be willing to do “whatever it takes” to land Max Scherzer, but would the Nats be willing to complete the trade?

The New York Yankees are viewing Max Scherzer as this year’s Justin Verlander. Verlander, of course, got traded from Detroit to Houston at the 2017 Trade Deadline and was the reason why the Astros won the World Series that season.

Max Scherzer is arguably better than Verlander, and he is one of the best pitchers of this generation.

Scherzer has two more years remaining on his contract, and the Yankees are going to be contention every season.

New York is in dire need of a front line starting pitcher, as no one in their rotation has stood out as their ace.

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Luis Severino is not going to return until the after the All-Star Break, but we do not even know if he will be an impactful starter like he has been.

Although C.C. Sabathia has been in the postseason multiple years and has shown that he can perform in the World Series, it is his last season so he is not going to have the lights out stuff he had a decade ago when they won it all in 2009.

So, Max Scherzer seems like he would be a great fit in the Bronx, but the only barrier in New York’s way to acquire the All-Star is the Washington ownership.

According to Harper, one person in the Nats organization said there is ” No chance” that Washington ships off Scherzer to Yankee Stadium.

“Even if (GM Mike) Rizzo wanted to do it, ownership wouldn’t let him. They want Scherzer to be their first Hall-of-Famer,” he said.

Learning that the Nationals ownership values Scherzer this much, and understandably so, I would not be expecting Mad Max to be leaving the Nation’s Capital for the remainder of his career.

Scherzer already has a spot waiting for him in Cooperstown, and since Harper didn’t want to be the best player to ever put on a Nationals uniform, Scherzer has taken that role and I am sure he and ownership want him to be wearing a Washinton Nationals cap in the National Baseball Hall of Fame.

Max Scherzer is one of, if not the best pitcher of this generation, and the Nationals have a lot of young talent even if third basemen Anthony Rendon leaves after this season.

Victor Robles and Juan Soto headline an outfield that has the potential to be one of the most underrated outfields in all of baseball.

It seems like Washington’s ownership has their head on straight because moving Scherzer wouldn’t be a smart move.

I know that they would get back Clint Frazier and possibly multiple starting pitching prospects, but the prized prospect that Washington would have wanted is Justus Sheffield, and he already got traded to Seattle when Jerry Dipoto sent James Paxton to New York.

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I just don’t see how New York can put together a package that would be worth it for Washington to send their future Hall of Famer to the Yankees because Max Scherzer is worth more than anything Brian Cashman has to offer.