Must make trades for each American League West team: Houston Astros
Trade idea: Acquire Max Scherzer
The Houston Astros have a track record of bringing in huge pitching talents to take them over the hump. In 2017, they got their hands on future Hall of Famer Justin Verlander. It immediately paid off as he went bonkers that season, he pitched a ridiculous 1.06 in the regular season. He also pitched out of his mind in the postseason, including winning the ALCS MVP against the New York Yankees after shutting them down with an ERA of 0.56. The gaudy stats ultimately resulted in a championship.
They also attempted to repeat history when they nabbed Zack Greinke in 2019. That move resulted in a Game 7 World Series loss. Now, following their two-year tradition, it’s time for the Astros to keep their ritual going. With the Washington Nationals going nowhere fast and Max Scherzer still playing at an outrageously high level, it’s officially time for him to move on.
Consider this, although Scherzer has multiple All-Star appearances, three Cy Young awards, a World Series ring and is a lock for the Hall of Fame, his ERA, which currently stands at 2.10, has never been better.
The Houston offense is ranked at the top of the league in just about every statistical category including RBI, hits and batting average. Pitching isn’t a problem as they rank 8th at the moment but still, with Verlander still recovering from Tommy John surgery and with their track record when adding great pitchers, if they managed to get their hands on Scherzer, they could become a World Series lock.