The reigning World Series champions are close to adding two more All-Stars to their loaded roster.
According to multiple reports, the Los Angeles Dodgers are making progress on a trade that would net three-time Cy Young Award winner Max Scherzer along with shortstop Trea Turner from the Washington Nationals, ESPN reported Thursday.
The deal would send a plethora of elite prospects to the Nationals, who beat the Dodgers in the 2019 National League Division Series en route to winning the World Series. Scherzer, who beat the Dodgers in Game 4 of that series, has reportedly approved the waiving of his no-trade clause to head to the Dodgers, per several outlets.
Catching prospect Keibert Ruiz and right-hander Josiah Gray are two main ingredients to any completed deal, per reports. Sources told The Athletic that two more mid-range prospects would complete the package heading to Washington, with one likely being outfielder Donovan Casey and the other right-hander Gerardo Carrillo.
With talks continuing ahead of Friday’s MLB trade deadline, the news marks a stark turn from earlier in the day when the favorites to land Scherzer appeared to be the Dodgers’ rivals, the San Diego Padres.
The move would also be a coup for Los Angeles, which fell to three games behind the first-place Giants in the NL West after a 5-0 loss in San Francisco Thursday. Scherzer could take the place of 2020 NL Cy Young winner Trevor Bauer, who is currently on administrative leave by the league while he is investigated of an alleged sexual assault by a Southern California woman.
Adding Turner to the deal provides the Dodgers insurance with injured shortstop Corey Seager (broken hand) expected to return from the injured list Friday. Conflicting reports said Turner could move either to center field or second base once the two-time All-Star Seager is back.
Scherzer made what appears to be his final start with Washington Thursday afternoon when he delivered an ace performance as the Nationals beat the host Philadelphia Phillies 3-1 in Game 1 of a doubleheader. He was a surprise starter and picked up his eighth win of the season as he went six strong innings in the win.
The Dodgers also acquired left-hander Danny Duffy from the Kansas City Royals, a move confirmed as official.
Scherzer, who turned 37 on Tuesday, has continued to be as dominant and durable as ever in his 14th season. The eight-time All-Star right-hander, who started for the NL in the All-Star Game earlier this month, is 8-4 with 2.76 ERA with 147 strikeouts in 111 innings over 19 starts this season.
A first-round pick (11th overall) by the Arizona Diamondbacks in 2006, Scherzer has pitched for Arizona (2008-09), the Detroit Tigers (2010-14) and Washington (2015-21). He won Cy Youngs in both the AL (2013 with Detroit) and NL (2016-17 with the Nationals).
Scherzer is 183-97 in 396 outings (387 starts) over his career with a 3.19 ERA in nearly 2,500 career innings. He is 69 strikeouts from becoming the 19th player ever with 3,000 career punchouts.
Turner, 28, did not play in Thursday’s doubleheader for Washington with trade rumors swirling. He has enjoyed his first All-Star season in 2021, ranking fourth in baseball in both batting average (.322) and stolen bases (21) while producing 18 homers and 49 RBIs in 96 games.
The former first-round pick by the Padres (13th overall in 2014) owns a .300 career average with 93 home runs, 306 RBIs and 192 steals in 637 games. He has posted double figures in both homers and steals for six consecutive seasons.
–Field Level Media