Most Likely Max Scherzer Trade Destinations

After roughly 1/5 of the MLB season, the Washington Nationals are floundering, sitting in last place in the NL East at 13-18. While injuries can take the blame in part for the slow start, it's definitely not the whole story. However, their ace, Max Scherzer has gotten off to another great start. His record is just 2-2, but he owns a 2.33 ERA, 61 strikeouts and a 0.78 WHIP in 46 1/3 innings pitched.

While the Nationals are still holding out hope for a turnaround on the season, if they can't right the ship by the mid-summer, they might look to trade the former Cy Young winner.

With plenty of teams potentially having a need for a guy like Scherzer, here are the three most likely teams to trade for Scherzer.

3. Houston Astros

The Houston Astros are sitting in second place in the AL West at 19-17, and are missing their own ace in Justin Verlander after his Tommy John surgery. Houston has shown in the past they are willing to make a deal during the season for a top pitcher with Verlander, Gerrit Cole and Zack Greinke. If the team continues to stay in the relative hunt for postseason contention, pulling the trigger on a trade for Scherzer could be a move they strongly consider, especially with the potential of their window closing if Carlos Correa walks in free agency next offseason.

2. Los Angeles Angels

The Los Angeles Angels are yet again going through a disappointing start to their season. Like the Nationals, they have dealt with some injuries, but with the way Mike Trout and Shohei Ohtani are tearing it up, the Angels need to have better results. The team has never really shied away from spending big money in the past. Mike Trout isn't getting any younger, and probably less patient, so if they can get within shouting distance of that AL West lead then a deal for Scherzer could be what puts them over the top. And keeping him away from Houston would be a double win. The Angels currently rank second to last in team ERA, so getting a guy like Scherzer to pair with Ohtani at the top of that rotation could transform those numbers.

1. New York Yankees

The New York Yankees failed to acquire both Verlander and Cole in the past via trade, and watched them go to Houston only to be part of the reason they were sent home in the playoffs. It would be tough for the Yankees to let that happen again with Scherzer. Trading for Scherzer would give the Yankees arguably the best 1-2 punch in baseball at the top of their rotation, and further fortify what has been a really solid group this year despite a mountain of question marks coming into the season. Yankees GM Brian Cashman was strictly held under the luxury tax threshold this offseason, and adding Scherzer would surely push them over that limit. However, with fans getting back into the stadium, it's possible Hal Steinbrenner would loosen the grip on that. We all know his father would have.

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David Kaestle is not a FanDuel employee. In addition to providing DFS gameplay advice, David also participates in DFS contests on FanDuel using his personal account, username davekaestle. While the strategies and player selections recommended in his articles are his personal views, he may deploy different strategies and player selections when entering contests with his personal account. The views expressed in their articles are the author's alone and do not necessarily reflect the views of FanDuel.